mm ■■'■'?>? •-'-'-  -    % 


MEN  WORTH 

REMEMBERING- 


UC-NRLF 


William    (Suest 


QC 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


CERF  LIBRARY 

PRESENTED  BY 

REBECCA  CERF  '02 

IN  THE  NAMES  OF 

CHARLOTTE  CERF  '95 

MARCEL  E.  CERF  '97 

BARRY  CERF  *02 


/d 


Engraved  by 


1     cs 


j^i^t^uJ^' 


><vSi '  £^\         ^tt^^ 


STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


BY 

WILLIAM    GUEST,  F.G.S., 

Author  of "'*  Fidelia  Fiske,"  "  The  Young  Man' s  Safeguard  in  the  Perils  of 
the  Age,"  etc. 


HENRY  LONGSTRETH, 

73  8  Sadbox   Street. 
1892. 


<w 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I.  tag* 

GUIDING    PRINCIPLES, I 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  YOUNG  NOBLE:  PREPARATION.  FOR  HIS  MISSION,  6 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  GREAT  CHANGE, .21 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  DIVINE  CALL,  .  .  .  .  •  32 

CHAPTER  V. 
DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS, 44 

CHAPTER  VI. 
VISIT  TO  HIS  PATERNAL  HOME,        .  .  .  •  57 

CHAPTER  VII. 
"  INSTANT  IF    SEASON,  OUT  QF  SEASON,"  .  .  JPJ 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN,      .  .  .  .  8o 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX.  pagm 

SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE, 94 

CHAPTER'  X. 
MISSION  TO  THE  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NATIONS,      .       I  1 8 

CHAPTER  XI. 
SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA, 1 35 

CHAPTER  XII. 
VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND    GREECE,     .  .  .  166 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
IN  SOUTHERN  ITALY,     .  .  .  .  .  IJJ 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
IN  ROME,     . 189 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE,  .  .  ZOJ 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
FAITHFUL  WITNESSING,  .       224 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE,    .....       232 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  CLOSING  YEARS, 259 


gx  779  £~ 
PREFATORY  NOTE. 


THE  following  is  the  Life  of  a  man  who  saw  the 
last  days  of  the  great  French  Monarchy,  shared 
the  sufferings  of  the  old  French  Nobility,  traversed 
Europe  several  times  on  a  mission  of  Mercy  during 
the  wars  of  the  First  Napoleon,  assisted  after  the  peace 
in  the  development  of  a  new  period,  was  one  among 
the  first  and  foremost  workers  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  aided  in  the  advancement  of  the  United  States 
Republic  to  its  present  greatness,  and  lived  on  beyond 
the  middle  of  this  century.  This  remarkable  life  has 
hitherto  been  little  known  beyond  the  circle  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  The  "  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and 
Gospel  Labors  of  Stephen  Grellet,"  edited  by  Benja- 
min Seebohm,  are  contained  in  two  large  and  closely 
printed  octavo  volumes,  and  have  passed  through  three 
Editions.  There  is  also  an  interesting  and  good  sized 
volume,  called  an  "Abridged  Edition,"  by  R.  and  C.  R. 
Alsop,  but  written  mainly  for  the  use  of  Friends. 
Messrs.  Samuel  Harris  &  Co.,  have  courteouslj'  granted 
permission  to  prepare  in  a  briefer  form  a  L?fc  intended 
for  the  general"  Christian  public. 

W.  G. 
Milton-on-  Thames. 

M566946 


■ 


CHAPTER  I. 

GUIDING  PRINCIPLES. 

THE  few  introductory  remarks  of  this  chapter  will 
not,  it  is  hoped,  be  regarded  as  mere  truisms, 
but  rather  as  the  statement  of  principles  of  which  we 
need  in  this  age  to  be  reminded. 

The  latter  part  of  the  third  quarter  of  this  century 
brought  into  full  manifestation  two  totally  opposite 
schools  of  opinion.  On  the  one  side  were  eminent 
and  distinguished  students  of  biology,  physics,  and 
philosophy,  who  having  started  on  their  investigations 
with  the  principle  that  the  supernatural  is  not  the  field 
for  human  inquiries,  have  apparently  come  to  admit 
design  without  a  designer,  to  teach  a  sublime  scheme 
of  evolution  which  has  proceeded,  not  with  a  presiding 
will,  but  on  self  acting  laws,  and  have  thus,  by  a  will- 
ing dismissal  of  the  Creator,  turned  the  faces  of  not 
a  few  in  this  generation  away  from  the  light,  so  that 
they  confront  only  negations  and  ever  deepening  dark- 
ness. Unspeakably  melancholy  has  this  become  to  a 
younger  race  of  scientific  inquirers,  while  in  lower 
levels  of  society  the  disbelief  has  filtered  as  a  baleful 
poison  of  vice,  license  and  corruption.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  is  a  vast  multitude  of  rare  cultured  and 
earnest  Christian  believers  who,  compelled  to  note  in 

(1) 


2  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

the  world  and  in  human  history  indubitable  proofs  of 
the  presence  and  temptations  of  the  spirit  of  evil, 
and  at  the  same  time  irrefutable  evidences  of  the 
presence  among  men  of  a  Saviour,  are  prepared  for  a 
cordial  acceptance  of  the  profound  spirituality  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  for  a  self-less  and  saintly  conse- 
cration to  the  well-being  of  the  human  race.  The 
latter  class  have  happily  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of 
their  fellow- workers,  and  of  the  results  of  their  lives. 
To  confirm  their  faith  in  the  mission  of  the  Comforter, 
and  in  His  abiding  guidance,  is  the  main  end  in  offer- 
ing this  life  of  Stephen  Grellet. 

An  intelligent  reader  who  should  come  for  the  first 
time  to  the  pages  of  the  New  Testament  would  be  im- 
pressed by  the  emphatic,  tender,  and  unambiguous 
manner  in  which  Christ  promised  the  abiding  presence 
among  men  of  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  truth. 

The  Spirit  was  to  "  convince  "  the  world.  Until  the 
end  of  the  age  He  was  to  remain  with  the  race  for 
whom  the  Son  of  God  had  offered  the  great  expiation. 
Men  in  a  moral  graveyard  of  death  would  "hear  His 
voice  and  live."  While  the  grace  would  be  for  all 
men,  the  effectual  operation  would  be  in  His  hands  to 
whom  the  eternal  Father  had  "  given  authority  to 
execute  judgment  also,  because  He  is  the  Son  of  man  " 
(John  v,  27). 

Endowed  by  the  Spirit,  Christ's  servants  were  to  do 
"greater  works"  than  the  Master's.  The  acts  of  His 
incarnation  specially  bore  the  mark  of  being  works  on 
nature.  The  "  greater  works  "  of  His  disciples  were 
to  be  moral  and  spiritual. 


GUIDING  PRINCIPLES.  '$] 

There  was,  however,  to  be  a  condition — the  entire 
and  cordial  acceptance  of  the  Divine  will.  His  fol- 
lowers were  to  "  abide  "  in  fellowship  of  heart  and 
purpose  with  their  ascended  Lord.  Only  thus  could 
they  bear  this  "  abundant  fruit."  As  they  willed  and 
planned  and  acted  with  Him,  they  might  "  ask  what 
they  would,  and  it  should  be  done  unto  them."  Thus 
would  they  be  "  vessels  meet  for  the  Master's  use," 
ready  for  every  emergency  and  for  every  demand  of 
their  Lord  in  the  way  of  service  and  of  testimony. 

In  reading  such  lives  as  those  of  St.  Paul,  of  St. 
Bernard,  of  Boniface,  of  Francis  de  Sales,  of  Fletcher, 
of  Bramwell,  and  McCheyne,  we  find  these  conditions 
fulfilled.  We  shall  note  the  same  habitual  waiting 
upon  Christ,  the  same  sympathy  with  Him,  and  the 
"hearkening  to  His  word,"  in  the  apostolic  life  of 
Stephen  Grellet.  We  shall  see  that  after  this  calm 
and  prolonged  looking  unto  the  Lord  he  became  a 
witness  for  Him  during  a  terrific  crisis  of  European 
history ;  and  that  over  the  two  hemispheres  he  bore  a 
testimony  adapted,  with  marvellous  wisdom,  alike  to 
dwellers  in  palaces  and  in  slaves'  huts,  to  the  inmates 
of  ecclesiastical  mansions  and  common  jails,  and  yet 
none  the  less  suited  to  the  periodic  meetings  of  Friends 
and  to  large  assemblies  of  Roman  Catholics  and 
Protestants  in  Europe  and  America. 

By  the  twofold  watching  for  heavenly  direction — 
the  inward  voice  and  external  providences — we  shall, 
in  following  the  narrative,  observe  how  a  humble,  but 
not  ungifted  man,  seldom  testified  in  any  one  circle, 
and  over  not  less  than  sixty  years,  without  witnessing 


£  STEPHEN  OREL  LET. 

those  "  greater  works  "  of  moral  awakening  and  of 
spiritual  revival  of  which  the  Lord  Jesus  spake. 

This  also  we  shall  learn,  and  the  lesson  is  not  un- 
needed  in  the  present  time.  The  subject  of  this 
memoir  was  like  "  the  Servant  of  Jehovah,"  of  whom 
it  was  predicted — "  He  shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor 
cause  His  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  streets."  By  the 
craving  for  crowds  and  numbers,  by  the  placard  sensa- 
tion and  advertisement,  by  mechanical  methods  for 
revival  services,  we  may  be  fulfilling  the  Lord's  will. 
But  by  relying  on  these  methods,  and  by  the  inflexible 
fore-arrangements  for  them,  we  may  unconsciously  be 
out  of  harmony  with  the  Spirit's  guidance,  and  out 
of  sympathy  with  Him  who  gave  His  sublime  teaching 
on  spiritual  worship  to  one  solitary  woman;  who 
"  opened  the  Scriptures,"  during  several  hours  on  the 
day  of  His  resurrection,  to  two  disciples,  both  obscure, 
and  the  name  of  one  of  whom  we  do  not  even  know; 
and  who  directed  the  evangelist  Philip  to  make  a  long 
journey  in  order  to  relieve  the  solicitudes  and  guide 
into  the  way  of  peace  one  inquiring  man. 

The  life  of  Stephen  Grellet  will  teach  one  other 
important  lesson.  In  reading  the  history  of  Jesus  we 
could  hardly  conceive  of  His  laying  out  His  plans  at 
the  beginning  of  a  week,  and  resolving  that  this  should 
be  done  on  the  first  day,  that  and  the  other  on  the 
days  following.  He  lived  in  such  unity  with  God's 
providence  that  the  path  of  service  was  constantly 
made  plain  as  He  came  up  to  it.  In  like  manner  will 
this  guidance  be  apparent  as  we  follow  the  course  of 
the  subject  of  this  memoir.     He  travelled  over  Europe 


GUIDING  PRINCIPLES.  6 

four  times,  made  long  journeys  in  the  work  of  the 
ministry  and  of  benevolence  in  America,  and  did  all 
this  under  an  impulse  and  monition  that  never  failed 
him.  There  was  a  wonderful  timeliness  and  a  natural 
but  beautiful  sequence  in  his  visits  and  intercourse 
with  men.  He  believed  that  he  should  be  taught  of 
God  on  every  new  emergency,  and  it  was  so.  To 
many  servants  of  Christ  who  in  our  time  desire  to  live 
this  life  of  faith,  this  record  of  a  long  but  calmly  con- 
secrated and  most  useful  life  may  give  appropriate 
encouragement  and  direction. 

We  may  then  dismiss  the  apprehension  that  the 
world  has  lost  its  youth,  and  that  its  fires  are  dying 
out.  The  Spirit  of  God  can  never  be  old.  While  He 
is  the  abiding  witness  for  Christ  in  the  world  there 
will  always  be  a  substantial  identity  in  the  Christian 
confessions,  and  always  be  guidance  and  usefulness 
shed  over  those  who  believe  and  teach  that  Eternal 
Love  is  in  every  age  yearning  to  bless  and  save  a 
fallen  and  tempted  race. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  YOUNG  NOBLE:   THE  PREPARATION  FOR  HIS 
MISSION. 

ETIENNE  de  GRELLET,  afterwards,  when  he 
became  a  Friend,  called  Stephen  Grellet,  was 
born  on  November  2d,  1773,  in  France,  in  the  city  of 
Limoges,  capital  of  the  modern  department  of  Haute 
Vienne,  and  situated  in  the  beautiful  district  of  Limou- 
sin/ He  was  the  fifth  child  of  Gabriel  Marc  Antoine 
de  Grellet  and  of  his  wife  Susanne  de  Senamaud. 

His  parents  were  wealthy,  and  ranked  high  among 
the  nobility  of  that  district.  During  Etienne's  child- 
hood, his  father,  Gabriel  de  Grellet,  resided  on  his 
patrimonial  estate.  He  was  owner  of  extensive  por- 
celain manufactories  in  the  neighborhood  of  Limoges, 
as  well  as  proprietor  of  some  iron  works.  For  some 
years  he  was  comptroller  of  the  Mint,  and,  at  one 
time,  formed  part  of  the  household  of  Louis  XVI. 
As  the  intimate  friend  and  counsellor  of  the  king,  he 
was  accustomed  to  attend  service  with  him  in  his 
private  chapel.  A  title  was  conferred  upon  him  for 
the  benefits  he  had  rendered  to  his  country,  especially 
by  the  introduction  of  the  manufacture  of  superior 
porcelain  ware.  His  porcelain  works  were  afterwards 
purchased  by  the  king,  just  before  the  French  Revo- 
lution ;  but,  on  account  of  that  event,  never  paid  for. 

(6) 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  7 

The  ancestors  of  the  mother  of  Etienne  de  Grellet 
had  for  many  generations  resided  at  Limoges.  They 
were  all  persons  holding  high  positions  in  society. 
On  both  sides  Grellet's  parents  were  Roman  Catholics. 
Two  of  his  aunts  retired  from  the  world  to  seek  the 
holier  life  of  the  "religieuse."  It  is  all  but  certain 
that  such  an  example  would  make  a  strong  impression 
on  the  affectionate  and  aspiring  mind  of  their  nephew. 
The  high  moral  bearing  of  his  father,  and  the  uniform 
kindness  of  his  home,  had  also  their  influence  over 
the  tender  and  susceptible  boy.  His  direct  religious 
advantages  were,  however,  few.  He  tells  us :  '*  My 
parents  were  desirous  to  give  their  children  such  an 
education  as  should  make  them  accomplished  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  ;  but,  though  trained  in  the  precepts 
of  a  high-toned  morality,  they  received  little  direct 
religious  instruction.  The  simple  truths  of  Holy 
Scripture  were  not  the  food  of  their  early  childhood, — 
the  'principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ*  were  not 
taught  them,  and  they  had  scarcely  'so  much  as  heard 
whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost'  " 

A  quick  susceptibility  to  religious  impressions 
seems,  nevertheless,  to  have  marked  the  youthful  days 
of  Etienne  de  Grellet,  and  early  indications  of  the 
work  of  Divine  grace  upon  his  heart  were  not  wanting. 
When  quite  a  child,  his  thoughts  on  the  omnipotence 
of  the  Divine  Being,  the  Creator  of  all  things,  so 
deeply  affected  him,  that  he  never  afterwards  lost  the 
recollection.  At  the  early  age  of  five  or  six,  the 
efficacy  of  prayer  to  an  omnipresent  and  omniscient 
God  was  remarkably  taught  him.    His  j  uvenile  powers 


8  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

had  been  overtasked  by  a  long  Latin  exercise ;  he 
was  quite  disheartened.  Alone,  in  his  chamber,  he 
looked  abroad  upon  the  glories  of  the  external  world, 
and  remembered  that  it  was  God  who  had  created 
them  all.  The  thought  arose  in  his  heart — "  Cannot 
the  same  God  give  me  memory  also  ? "  He  knelt 
down  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  and  poured  out  his  soul 
in  prayer  to  the  Lord.  On  re-perusing  his  lesson,  he 
found  himself  master  of  it ;  and  henceforward  he  was 
able  to  acquire  learning  with  increased  facility.  Even 
in  his  old  age  he  could  look  back  to  "  happy  days," 
when  his  childish  heart  was  deeply  affected,  and  re- 
member, "with  grateful  emotion,"  the  places  in  his 
father's  house,  where,  "  on  his  knees,  with  his  eyes 
flowing  with  tears,  he  had  poured  forth  his  supplica- 
tions unto  God."  Having  early  learnt  to  repeat  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  he  exclaims,  "  Oh,  how  was  my  heart 
contrited,  while  uttering  the  words,  '  Our  Father,  who 
art  in  heaven.'  "  To  be  permitted  thus  to  look  up  to 
his  God,  to  call  Him  Father,  and  to  consider  himself 
as  His  child,  filled  his  young  soul  with  the  tenderness 
of  reverential  awe. 

To  those  who  believe  that  (so  far  as  we  know)  the 
chief  object  of  Eternal  Love  is  man,  and  that  for 
man's  sake  God  raises  up  His  chosen  witnesses  in 
every  age,  it  will  be  readily  admitted  that  Divine  love 
was  educating  Etienne  de  Grellet  for  the  place  he  was 
to  fill  in  a  time  of  trouble  such  as  Europe  had  not 
previously  known.  Happily,  schools  and  colleges  in 
France  were  no  longer  under  the  sway  of  the  Jesuits. 
Young   Etienne  was  sent  to  the   University  of  the 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  9 

Oratorians  at  Lyons.  It  was  a  well-ordered  institution. 
There  were,  with  the  professors  and  officers  of  the 
establishment,  about  a  thousand  inmates.  The  reli- 
gious principles  were  those  of  the  Jansenists.  H  Cor- 
ruption and  levity"  were  repressed,  order  and  discipline 
were  carefully  maintained,  and  the  literary  advantages 
were  of  a  high  and  varied  nature. 

Etienne  was  endowed  with  rare  capacities  for  learn- 
ing. He  had,  moreover,  a  graceful  address,  and 
assiduously  cultivated  suavity  and  self-reliance.  He 
rose  rapidly  in  the  university,  and  obtained  advanced 
prizes  for  his  classical  acquisitions.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  that  fortitude,  skill  in 
languages,  and  general  knowledge,  which  fitted  him 
so  singularly  for  moving  with  such  freedom  and 
ascendancy  among  all  classes  of  society.  It  was  at 
this  period  also  that,  to  use  his  own  words,  he  was 
again  "  favored  with  the  Lord's  gracious  visitations 
to  his  soul."  To  this  he  afterwards  gratefully  refers 
when,  commemorating  the  Divine  goodness,  he  ex- 
claims :  "  Oh,  the  heart-meltings  I  have  known — 
fervent  were  some  of  the  prayers  I  then  put  up,  when 
on  my  knees,  my  cheeks  were  bedewed  with  tears. 

"As  we  were  educated,"  he  continues,  "by  Roman 
Catholics,  and  in  their  principles,  we  were  required  to 
confess  once  in  every  month.  I  had  chosen  for  my 
confessor  one  whom  I  thought  to  be  a  pious  and 
conscientious  man ;  and,  as  I  could  not  understand 
how  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  forgive  my  sins,  I 
asked  him  what  he  could  say  to  satisfy  my  mind  on 
that  point,  for  I  considered  that  God  alone  could  for- 


10  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

give  sins  ;  a  doctrine,  however,  which  I  had  never  heard 
of.  He,  seeing  further  than  many  other  priests,  told 
me  that  he  considered  himself  invested  with  such 
authority,  only  so  far  as  that,  if  I  was  sincere,  and  truly 
penitent  in  the  sight  of  God,  he  was  tfie  instrument 
through  whom  information  was  given  me  that  my  sins 
were  forgiven.  This  rational  answer  gained  him  much 
of  my  confidence  and  respect.  He  bestowed  a  fatherly 
care  upon  me. 

"  From  my  earliest  days,  there  was  that  in  me  which 
would  not  allow  me  implicitly  to  believe  the  various 
doctrines  I  was  taught.  Though  I  was  told  that  they 
were  mysteries  which  I  was  not  to  seek  to  see  into, 
yet  my  reasoning  faculties  brought  me  to  the  root  of 
the  matter;  from  created  objects  to  the  Creator,  from 
time  to  eternity." 

Before  leaving  the  university  he  received  confirma- 
tion according  to  the  rites  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  and  joined  in  participating  in  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper.  But  he  grew  doubtful  of  what 
Roman  bishops  and  priests  could  do  for  him. 

Among  what  he  termed  "  religious  openings "  at 
Lyons,  one  left  a  deep  impression ;  and  the  remem- 
brance of  it  helped  to  sustain  his  spirit  under  many 
subsequent  exercises  and  trials. 

"  I  thought  I  saw,"  he  says,  "  a  large  company  of 
persons,  or  rather  purified  spirits,  on  one  of  those  float- 
ing vessels  which  they  have  at  Lyons,  on  the  Rhone, 
occupied  by  washerwomen.  They  were  washing  linen. 
I  wondered  to  see  what  beating  and  pounding  there 
was  upon  it,  but  how  beautifully  white  it  came  out  of 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  11 

their  hands.  I  was  told  I  could  not  enter  God's  king- 
dom until  I  underwent  such  an  operation, — that  unless 
I  was  thus  washed  and  made  white,  I  could  have  no 
part  in  the  dear  Son  of  God.  For  weeks  I  was  ab- 
sorbed in  the  consideration  of  the  subject — the  washing 
of  regeneration.  I  had  never  heard  of  such  things 
before,  and  I  greatly  wondered  that,  having  been  bap- 
tized with  water,  and  having  also  received  what  they 
call  the  sacrament  of  confirmation,  I  should  have  to 
pass  through  such  a  purification  ;  for  I  had  never  read 
or  heard  any  one  speak  of  such  a  baptism." 

Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  said,  "  It  is  not  learning  or 
genius  that  makes  the  truly  effective  man,  but  moral 
thoughtfulness."  The  thoughts  of  his  heart,  of  which 
the  foregoing  vision  was  the  outgrowth,  led  Etienne 
to  feel  astonished  that,  spite  of  ceremonies,  confirma- 
tions, sacraments,  and  rites  of  priests,  his  heart  still 
was  unchanged,  his  conscience  and  sense  of  sin  unre- 
lieved, and  his  evil  propensities  still  unsubdued.  As 
might  therefore  have  been  expected,  after  leaving  the 
university,  he  "  sought  his  happiness  in  the  world's 
delights,"  gave  full  sway  to  his  inclinations,  and  lost 
his  earlier  religious  convictions.  Nevertheless,  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  Christ  was  lovingly  drawing  him  on. 
He  records  :  "  I  sought  after  happiness  in  the  world. 
I  expected  to  find  it.  I  went  in  pursuit  of  it  from  one 
party  of  pleasure  to  another;  but  I  did  not  find  it, 
and  I  wondered  that  the  name  of  pleasure  could  be 
given  to  anything  of  the  kind."  This  is  remarkable 
language  for  a  youth,  and  deeply  interesting  is  it  to 
witness  that  great  and  memorable  crisis  in  the  history 


12  STEPHEN  OREL  LET. 

of  a  soul,  of  which  myriads  of  saved  ones  bear  witness, 
when  the  law  of  purity  is  consented  to  that  it  is  good, 
but  another  law  in  the  members  wars  against  this  law 
of  the  mind,  and  the  struggling  spirit  cries  out,  "Who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?  " 

Deliverance  was  to  come  to  Etienne  de  Grellet 
through  a  baptism  of  fire  and  a  storm  of  terrors  and 
desolation.  The  French  Revolution  of  1789  broke 
out ;  that  time  of  horrors,  that  awful  nemesis  of  wrong. 
The  De  Grellets  belonged  to  the  nobility  of  France, 
on  whom  the  chastisement  had  chiefly  to  fall ;  and, 
like  all  such  tribulations,  it  fell  upon  the  innocent  with 
the  guilty.  The  haughtiness  of  the  nobles  forbade  all 
compromise  with  the  popular  party.  A  hundred 
thousand  of  the  most  wealthy  and  influential  land- 
owners fled  their  country,  to  unite  with  the  armies  of 
the  continental  powers  in  bringing  about  a  counter 
revolution.  Etienne,  with  his  brothers,  joined  the 
fugitives,  and  proceeded  to  unite  with  the  royalists. 
He  left  his  father,  and  his  father's  house,  and  never 
saw  them  again.  At  Mont  Midi,  on  the  way  to 
Germany,  he  thus  records  a  rencontre :  "  I  shudder 
when  I  remember  the  state  of  insensibility  I  was  in. 
I  was  not  the  least  moved  when  surrounded  by  people 
and  soldiers,  who  lavished  their  abuse  upon  us,  and 
threatened  to  hang  me  to  the  lamp-post.  I  coolly  stood 
by,  my  hands  in  my  pockets,  being  provided  with  three 
pairs  of  pistols,  two  of  which  were  double-barrelled. 
I  concluded  to  wait  to  see  what  they  would  do,  and 
resolved,  after  destroying  as  many  of  them  as  I  could, 
to  take  my  own  life  with  the  last.      No  thought  of 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  IS 

eternity  was  then  before  me,  no  sense  of  remembrance 
that  there  is  a  God." 

Probably  his  coolness,  by  God's  good  care,  pre- 
served him  from  suffering  or  doing  injury. 

The  rendezvous  of  the  nobility  was  Coblentz,  whither 
the  French  princes  had  fled.  There  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1 79 1 -2  were  spent  in  preparations  for  the 
approaching  campaign  in  France. 

"  Everything  about  me,"  says  Etienne,  "  and  the 
very  nature  of  the  work  I  was  engaged  in,  was  highly 
calculated  to  destroy  every  fibre  remaining  of  those 
tender  impressions  I  had  heretofore  received ;  but  my 
gracious  Lord  did  not  wholly  forsake  me.  I  was  pre- 
served from  those  gross  evils  that  are  too  generally 
attendant  on  an  army.  But  oh,  the  height  of  my 
infatuation  !  I  attributed  my  preservation  to  my  own 
reasoning  powers ;  for  I  viewed  the  vices  to  which  my 
companions  were  addicted  in  the  same  light  as,  a  little 
before,  I  had  done  jovial  parties  for  dancing,  etc.,  etc.; 
concluding  that  what  degrades  the  man  can  yield  him 
neither  true  comfort  nor  pleasure.  Divine  light  would, 
nevertheless,  at  seasons,  pierce  into  the  inmost  recesses 
of  my  benighted  heart.  I  was  fond  of  solitude,  and 
had  many  retired  walks  through  the  woods  and  over 
the  hills.  I  delighted  to  visit  the  deserted  hermitages 
which  formerly  abounded  on  the  Rhine.  I  envied 
such  a  life  of  retirement  and  of  purity.  I,  too,  looked 
forward  wistfully  to  such  a  life ;  but  I  saw  also  that 
unless  I  could  leave  behind  me  my  earthly-mindedness, 
my  pride,  vanity,  and  every  carnal  propensity,  an 
outward  solitude  could  afford  me  no  shelter." 


14  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

In  the  summer  of  1792  young  Grellet  was  in  the 
King's  Horse  Guards.  Accompanied  by  the  Austrians 
and  Prussians,  the  army  entered  France.  But  disas- 
ters came,  and  the  forces  were  soon  after  disbanded.  It 
was  not  the  will  of  God  to  save  France  from  the  fiery 
deluge  which  was  to  follow.  Etienne  had  stood  in 
battle  array.  He  had  seen  many  falling  around  him. 
But  he  often  afterwards,  with  peculiar  thankfulness  to 
the  good  providence  of  God,  reverts  to  the  fact  that  he 
was  in  a  corps  of  reserved  troops,  and  was  preserved 
from  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  his  countrymen. 

After  the  retreat  of  the  princes'  army,  the  young 
De  Grellets  became  prisoners  of  war,  and  were  ordered 
to  be  shot.  Again  God  in  mercy  preserved  Etienne. 
Just  as  the  time  for  the  execution  of  the  sentence  had 
come,  a  commotion  arose  in  the  hostile  army,  and  he 
and  his  brothers  escaped,  first  to  Brussels,  and  thence 
reached  Holland  in  safety.  In  Amsterdam  they  met 
with  friends.  Their  hearts  were,  however,  drawn  to 
their  beloved  parents,  who  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  Revolution.  But  to  return  to  them 
as  young  soldiers  of  the  King's  Guards  would  ag- 
gravate instead  of  alleviating  their  trials.  Danger 
threatened  on  every  side.  Etienne  and  one  of  his 
brothers  resolved  to  go  to  South  America.  Having 
obtained  a  passage  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  De- 
merara,  they  arrived  there,  January,  1793. 

That  visit  to  a  slave  colony  was  a  part  of  the  train- 
ing Etienne  de  Grellet  was  to  have  to  educate  him  for 
his  subsequent  mission,  and  his  witness  in  England 
and  in  the  United  States. 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  15 

There  have  been  few  brighter  or  more  honored 
chapters  in  human  history  than  the  record  of  the 
benevolent  labors  of  the  Friends  on  behalf  of  slaves, 
and  De  Grellet  was  to  do  much  to  sustain  among 
them  abolitionist  principles. 

The  two  brothers  were  provided  with  letters  of  in- 
troduction from  their  friends  in  Holland  to  some  of 
the  principal  planters,  who  received  them  with  much 
hospitality.  Mercantile  pursuits  soon  occupied  their 
attention,  and  during  a  residence  of  two  years  in  the 
colony,  which  then  belonged  to  Holland,  they  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  much  of  the  horrors  of  slavery, 
and  of  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with  the  ruin- 
ous effects  of  the  iniquitous  system,  both  upon  the 
colored  and  the  white  population.  They  were  much 
shocked,  on  their  first  arrival  in  the  colony,  in  observ- 
ing the  degraded  condition  of  the  miserable  descend- 
ants of  the  African  race,  whose  almost  naked  bodies 
bore  evident  marks  of  the  cruelty  of  their  oppressors, 
and  whose  backs  were  frequently  covered  with  large 
scars,  left  by  the  lash  of  the  whip ;  some  still  bleeding 
under  the  strokes  recently  inflicted,  had  cayenne 
pepper  and  salt  rubbed  into  their  wounds,  to  increase 
their  suffering.  Such  was  the  impression  made  upon 
Etienne  by  the  scenes  of  cruelty  and  anguish  he 
witnessed,  that,  many  years  after,  the  sound  of  a  whip 
in  the  street  would  "  chill  his  blood,"  in  the  remem- 
brance of  the  agony  of  the  poor  slaves  ;  and  he  "  felt 
convinced  that  there  was  no  excess  of  wickedness 
and  malice  of  which  a  slaveholder,  or  driver,  might 
not  be  guilty." 


16  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

"  Demerara,"  he  remarks,  "  was  a  place  of  much 
dissipation.  I  do  not  recollect,  during  the  whole 
time  I  was  there,  that  I  saw  anything,  in  any  one,  that 
indicated  a  feeling  of  religious  sensibility  There  was 
no  place  of  worship ;  no  priest  of  any  kind,  except 
one  who  had  been  there  a  few  years,  who  was  a  disso- 
lute, drunken  man.  It  was  of  the  Lord's  mercy  that  I, 
and  the  whole  land,  were  not  destroyed  like  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah.  At  that  time,  the  prince  of  the  power 
of  the  air,  who  rules  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 
disobedience,  had  obtained  such  a  victory  over  me, 
that  I  had  become  one  of  the  number  of  those  infatu- 
ated ones  who  call  good  evil,  and  evil  good, — dark- 
ness light,  and  light  darkness, — to  so  daring  a  pitch 
as  to  say,  There  is  no  God !  I  not  only  thought  that 
there  was  no  God,  and  consequently  no  religion,  that 
all  the  profession  of  it  was  but  priestcraft,  invention, 
and  deceit,  but  so  plausibly  had  I  compassed  myself 
with  sparks  of  my  own  kindling,  that  I  thought  I  saw 
a  way  to  steer  my  own  course.  I  had  become  a 
complete  disciple  of  Voltaire,  and  writers  of  that 
class. 

"  How  low,  how  degraded,  did  I  see  man  to  be ! 
And  yet  I  could  dare  to  think  I  had  reached  to  that 
correctness  of  reasoning,  that  would  enable  me  to  rise 
from  that  sinkof  corruption,  and  live  a  virtuous  life, — 
even  concluding  that  it  was  this  philosophy  that  pre- 
served me  from  giving  way  to  the  vices  which  flowed 
like  a  torrent  about  me.  This  was  my  situation  when 
the  Lord  Himself  interfered  to  release  me  from  that 
land,  and  to  open  a  way  for  my  emancipation  from  a 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  17 

feondage  far  more  to  be  dreaded  than  that  of  the  poor 
slaves  whom  I  commiserated." 

A  rumor,  apparently  well  sustained,  reached  Dem- 
erara  in  the  spring  of  1795,  that  the  French  were 
coming  to  take  possession  of  the  colony.  A  fleet 
was  seen  approaching.  The  two  brothers  resolved  to 
leave  immediately,  and  they  took  passage  forthwith 
in  an  American  trading  vessel  which  was  on  the  point 
of  sailing.  As  they  were  leaving,  they  saw  the  fleet 
approaching  the  harbor  of  Demerara.  Not  until  their 
arrival  in  America  did  they  learn  that  the  alarming 
rumor  was  incorrect.  The  fleet  had  come  from  En- 
gland. 

Mistakes  are  frequently  overruled  to  serve  the  pur- 
poses of  God.  Columbus  meant  to  find  a  short  way 
to  India  and  Cathay,  and  he  revealed  a  new  world 
by  a  "  splendid  blunder."  It  is  well  to  see  special 
providences ;  it  is  better  to  see  that  all  .events  are  a 
chain  of  providence.  Young  Grellet  regarded  it  as  a 
circumstance  that  "  stood  prominent  in  the  days  of 
his  pilgrimage,"  that  he  left  Demerara.  The  brothers' 
prospects  in  mercantile  pursuits  were  bright.  Had 
they  found  earlier  that  the  English  vessels  had  come 
to  establish,  in  the  place  of  anarchy  and  maladministra- 
tion, an  equitable  British  rule,  it  is  little  likely  they 
would  have  left  the  colony. 

A  series  of  providential  deliverances  followed  them. 
The  ship,  on  her  way  to  America,  was  chased  by  a 
privateer  off  Martinique.  But  the  boats  of  the  privateer 
could  not  be  lowered  because  of  the  violence  of  the 
storm.     Off  the  island  of  San  Domingo  the  vessel  on 


8  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

•which  the  brothers  sailed  was  driven  amidst  sunken 
re  cks  ;  taking  the  crew  for  .  enemies,  the  islanders 
po'nted  their  cannon  on  them.  In  the  extremity  of 
their  strait  between  the  rocks  and  the  cannon,  they 
unexpectedly  found  a  narrow  channel  of  escape.  Some 
days  after,  their  vessel  took  fire;  but  when  matters 
appeared  hopeless,  the  flames  were  restrained.  Off 
the  New  Jersey  shore  a  thick  fog  brought  the  ship 
into  a  most  critical  position ;  in  a  few  minutes  all  on 
board  would  have  perished ;  for  a  brief  moment  the 
fog  cleared,  to  show  the  master  where  the  vessel  was. 

De  Grellet  remarks  :  "  Thus  did  Divine  Providence 
repeatedly  interfere,  and  preyent  my  sinking  into 
everlasting  misery.  But  such  was  the  obduracy  of 
my  heart,  all  that  time,  that  I  do  not  recollect  to  have 
felt  any  emotion  of  gratitude." 

Probably  every  life  would  bear  such  evidences  of  a 
controlling  -Hand  if  it  were  carefully  watched.  The 
accidents  that  happen  to  men  occur  mostly  because, 
in  Divine  wisdom,  the  errors  and  faults  of  men  are 
intended  to  be  for  our  warning.  By  never  favoring 
incompetence  and  carelessness  God  educates  His 
creatures. 

*  O  Father-eye,  that  hath  so  truly  watched, 
O  Father-hand,  that  hath  so  gently  led, 
O  Father-heart,  that  by  my  prayer  is  touched, 
That  loved  me  first  when  I  was  cold  and  dead : 

Still  do  Thou  lead  me  on  with  faithful  care 
The  narrow  path  to  heaven  where  I  would  go, 

And  train  me  for  the  life  that  waits  me  there 

Alike  through  love  and  loss,  through  weal  and  woe." 


THE  YOUNG  NOBLE.  19 

Arrived  in  America,  the  brothers  first  took  up  their 
abode  on  Long  Island,  and  resolved  to  wait  until  they 
might  obtain  tidings  of  their  parents,  towards  whom 
the  hearts  of  the  fugitives  went  out  in  ceaseless 
solicitude.  Whether  it  would  be  safe  to  return  to 
them,  and  to  brave  the  chaos  of  conflict  and  enmities 
on  which  France  had  entered,  or  to  remain  in  the 
United  States,  was  now  their  anxious  inquiry.  Mean- 
while, they  settled  for  the  summer  of  1795  at  Newtown. 
Their  manners  and  position  gave  them  access  to  the 
best  society  of  the  place.  On  taking  leave  of  their 
father,  he  had  given  them  a  maxim,  to  choose  the 
company  of  "  their  seniors  in  age,  and  their  superiors 
in  ability."  This  counsel  from  one  whom  they  ever 
regarded  with  the  deepest  reverence  and  affection  was 
not  without  its  advantages.  In  Newtown  they  were 
received  as  visitors  into  the  well-ordered  family  of  an 
officer  of  rank  who  had  served  in  the  British  army. 
His  wife  was  connected  by  lineage  with  Franklin,  who 
had  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
family  was  one  of  culture  and  of ' refined  manners. 
There  the  two  unfortunate  but  engaging  strangers 
found  often  a  congenial  home.  At  this  time  the 
brothers  had  little  knowledge  of  the  English  language, 
and  Miss  Corsa,  the  daughter  of  the  family,  who  was 
accustomed  to  converse  with  them  in  French,  recom- 
mended the  study  of  the  works  of  William  Penn,  the 
illustrious  founder  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
Etienne  de  Grellet,  regarding  Penn  as  a  statesman 
and  politician,  began  to  translate,  with  a  view  to  obtain 
a  better  acquaintance  with  the  English  language,  the 


20  STEPHEN  ORELLET. 

works  of  the  great  Quaker.  It  was  a  study  pregnant 
with  important  issues,  and  formed  a  crisis  in  Etienne's 
history.  He  was  at  that  time  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  and,  under  the  full  sway  of  skeptical  opinions, 
was  without  one  religious  impression.  But  the  time 
had  arrived  when  his  earlier  cries  and  supplications 
for  light  and  guidance  from  the  Hearer  of  prayer 
were  to  receive  an  answer.  The  vicissitudes  the 
young  noble  had  passed  through  had  given  him  a 
knowledge  of  men  and  of  the  times,  and  now,  after 
the  preparation,  the  chosen  vessel  was  to  be  summoned 
to  his  work. 

The  author  of  this  Life  of  De  Grellet  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say  that  an  extended  and  careful  observation 
has  taught  him  that  when  the  pointings  of  the  young 
are  turned  Christward,  although  early  impressions 
may  seem  evanescent,  the  first  direction  of  the  nature 
returns  after  many  days.  He  has  seen  also  that  the 
disparagement  of  early  piety,  which  is  the  fashion 
with  some  persons,  has  been  shown  afterwards,  in  a 
young  person's  history,  to  have  been  a  terrible  and 
most  awful  mistake.  The  right  course  is  by  every 
method,  and  by  a  religious  atmosphere  of  home  or 
school,  to  develop  reliance  on  a  Divine  arm  and  on  a 
Divine  wisdom,  and  to  form  that  clinging  of  faith 
which  is  natural  to  a  child.  Where  there  is  a  rich 
nature  there  will,  with  such  an  experience,  be  emotion. 
To  disparage  the  emotion  in  such  a  case  will  be  to 
prevent  or  kill  the  faith.  The  child-emotion  will  be 
corrected  by  time;  the  faith,  though  it  may  seem  to 
falter,  will  through  God's  grace  assert  itself  again. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  GREAT  CHANGE. 

RARELY  was  the  call  louder  and  clearer  than 
that  in  this  age  to  all  Christian  teachers  to 
assert  in  the  most  pronounced  and  decided  manner 
the  necessity  and  nature  of  true  conversion  to  God. 
The  followers  of  Jesus  Christ  find  themselves  sur- 
rounded by  proud  reasonings,  an  unbelieving  skepti- 
cism, and  a  latitudinarian  mingling  of  error  and  truth. 
Upon  the  understanding  and  acceptance  of  the  teaching 
of  Christ,  with  respect  to  the  regeneration  of  a  human 
soul,  depend  alike  the  stability  of  the  church  and  the 
eternal  well-being  of  individuals.  What,  then,  is  this 
great  change  which  is  called  conversion?  It  is  an 
inward  revelation  to  the  human  spirit  of  the  evil  of 
sin,  and  the  utterly  lost  state  of  the  sinner.  It  is  the 
birth  into  an  experience  of  the  profound  pity  of  God, 
the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  who  strives  with 
the  sinner  to  win  him  to  a  chosen  obedience  to  Him- 
self. It  is,  under  the  teaching  of  the  blessed  Spirit, 
the  soul's  apprehension  of  the  surpassing  and  trans- 
cendent love  of  God,  who  has  set  forth  Christ  Jesus 
as  a  propitiation  for  sin,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
manifest  His  righteousness  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin, 
and  of  satisfying  the  conscience  of  the  sinner.     It  is 

(21) 


22  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

the  new  motive  that  thus  comes  into  the  life,  the 
pointings  of  the  new  nature  Godwards,  and  the  con- 
secration of  the  whole  being  to  a  loving  acceptance 
of  the  will  of  our  Father  in  heaven.  This  has  been 
the  mark  of  all  the  illustrious  servants  of  God  in  the 
bygone  times,  and  no  man  or  woman,  even  in  the 
lowliest  sphere,  has  done  any  really  effective  and  per- 
manent service  in  turning  men  unto  righteousness» 
who  has  been  ignorant  of  this  great  spiritual  change 
and  renovation. 

We  ask  a  careful  noting  of  the  record  of  Etienne  de 
Grellet's  life  at  this  time.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
humble  and  truthful  of  men.  He  says,  at  the  beginning 
of  his  narrative :  "  In  now  attempting  to  give  some 
small  account  of  the  merciful  dealings  of  the  Lord 
with  me,  for  my  near  relatives  and  friends,  it  is  very 
far  from  my  desire  to  perpetuate  my  memory  to 
another  generation ;  but  rather,  with  an  eye  to  the 
advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  to  en- 
courage my  fellow-pilgrims,  whilst  they  may  mark 
some  of  their  own  footsteps  in  the  path  which  I  have 
trodden  from  my  youth  up,  to  lift  up  their  heads  in 
hope;  for,  in  proportion  as  the  tribulations  of  the 
gospel  have  abounded,  so  its  consolations  have  much 
more  abounded  by  Christ.  My  soul  magnifies  the 
Lord,  and  my  spirit  rejoices  in  God  my  Saviour,  for 
He  has  done  great  things  for  His  servant !  " 

After  the  manner  of  the  Friends,  Etienne  dropped 
the  "  de  "  before  his  name,  and  afterwards  adopted  an 
English  appellation.  From  this  time,  therefore,  he 
will  be  designated  by  the  name  he  bears  through  the 


THE  GREAT  CHANGE  28 

two  hemispheres — Stephen  Grellet,  It  is  impossible 
to  describe  his  conversion  in  a  better  way  than  he 
himself  has  done.  He  was  still  in  his  twenty-second 
year. 

"Through  adorable  mercy,  the  visitation  of  the 
Lord  was  now  again  extended  towards  me,  by  the 
immediate  openings  of  the  Divine  light  on  my  soul. 
One  evening  as  I  was  walking  in  the  fields  alone,  my 
mind  being  under  no  kind  of  religious  concern,  or  in 
the  least  excited  by  anything  I  had  heard  or  thought 
of,  I  was  suddenly  arrested  by  what  seemed  to  be  an 
awful  voice  proclaiming  the  words ' Eternity !  Eternity ! 
Eternity ! '  It  reached  my  very  soul, — my  whole  man 
shook, — it  brought  me,  like  Saul,  to  the  ground. 
The  great  depravity  and  sinfulness  of  my  heart  were 
set  open  before  me,  and  the  gulf  of  everlasting  destruc- 
tion to  which  I  was  verging.  I  was  made  bitterly  to 
cry  out,  '  If  there  is  no  God,  doubtless  there  is  a  hell.' 
I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  it.  For  a  long  time  it 
seemed  as  if  the  thundering  proclamation  was  yet 
heard.  After  that  I  remained  almost  whole  days  and 
nights,  exercised  in  prayer  that  the  Lord  would  have 
mercy  upon  me,  expecting  that  He  would  give  me 
some  evidence  that  He  had  heard  my  supplication. 
But  for  this  I  was  looking  to  some  outward  mani- 
festation, my  expectation  being  entire  y  of  that  nature. 

"  I  now  took  up  again  the  works  of  William  Penn, 
and  opened  upon  'No  Cross,  no  Crown.'     The  title 
reached  my  heart.     I  proceeded  to  read  with  the  help 
of  my  dictionary,  having  to  look  for  the  meaning  of 
nearly  every  word.     I  read  it  twice  through  in  this 


24  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

manner.  I  had  never  met  with  anything  of  the  kind ; 
neither  had  I  felt  the  Divine  witness  in  me  operating 
so  powerfully  before. 

"  I  now  withdrew  from  company,  and  spent  most  of 
my  time  in  retirement,  and  in  silent  waiting  upon 
God.  I  began  to  read  the  English  Bible,  with  the  aid 
of  my  dictionary,  for  I  had  not  one  in  French.  I  was 
much  of  a  stranger  to  the  inspired  records.  I  had 
not  even  seen  them  before,  that  I  remember ;  what  I 
had  heard  of  any  part  of  their  contents,  was  only 
detached  portions  of  Prayer  Books. 

"  Whilst  the  fallow  ground  of  my  heart  was  thus 
preparing,  my  brother  and  myself,  being  one  day  at 
Colonel  Corsa's,  heard  that  a  meeting  for  Divine 
worship  was  appointed  to  be  held  next  day  in  the 
Friends'  Meeting  House,  by  two  English  women  on 
a  religious  visit  to  this  land,  to  which  we  were  invited. 
We  felt  inclined  to  go.  The  Friends  were  Deborah 
Darby  and  Rebecca  Young.  The  sight  of  them 
brought  solemn  feelings  over  me ;  but  I  soon  forgot 
the  servants,  and  all  things  around  me ;  for  in  an  in- 
ward silent  frame  of  mind,  seeking  for  the  Divine 
presence,  I  was  favored  to  find  in  me  what  I  had  so 
long,  and  with  so  many  tears,  sought  for  without  me. 
My  brother,  who  sat  beside  me,  and  to  whom  the 
silence,  in  which  the  forepart  of  the  meeting  was  held, 
was  irksome,  repeatedly  whispered  to  me,  '  Let  us  go 
away.'  But  I  felt  the  Lord's  power  in  such  a  manner, 
that  my  inner  man  was  prostrated  before  my  blessed 
'  Redeemer.  A  secret  joy  filled  me,  in  that  I  had 
found  Him  after  whom  my  soul  had  longed.     I  was 


THE  GREAT  CHANGE  25 

as  one  nailed  to  my  seat.  Shortly  after,  one  or  two 
men  Friends  in  the  ministry  spoke,  but  I  could  under- 
stand very  little  of  what  they  said.  After  them,  the 
two  English  visitors  spoke  also ;  but  I  was  so  gathered 
in  the  temple  of  my  heart  before  God,  that  I  was 
wholly  absorbed  with  what  was  passing  there.  Thus 
had  the  Lord  opened  my  heart  to  seek  Him  where 
He  is  to  be  found. 

"  My  brother  and  myself  were  invited  to  dine  in  the 
company  of  these  Friends,  at  Colonel  Corsa's.  There 
was  a  religious  opportunity  after  dinner,  in  which 
several  communications  were  made.  I  could  hardly 
understand  a  word  of  what  was  said,  but  as  Deborah 
Darby  began  to  address  my  brother  and  myself,  it 
seemed  as  if  the  Lord  opened  my  outward  ear,  and 
my  heart.  Her  words  partook  of  the  efficacy  of  that 
'  word '  which  is  '  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints 
and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and 
intents  of  the  heart.'  She  seemed  like  one  reading 
the  pages  of  my  heart,  with  clearness  describing  how 
it  had  been,  and  how  it  was  with  me.  I  was  like 
Lydia ;  my  heart  was  opened ;  I  felt  the  power  of 
Him  who  hath  the  key  of  David.  No  strength  to 
withstand  the  Divine  visitation  was  left  in  me.  Oh, 
what  sweetness  did  I  then  feel !  It  was  indeed  a 
memorable  day.  I  was  like  one  introduced  into  a 
new  world;  the  creation  and  all  things  around  me 
bore  a  different  aspect, — my  heart  glowed  with  love 
to  all.     The  awfulness  of  that  day  of  God's  visitation 


26  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

can  never  cease  to  be  remembered  with  peculiar 
interest  and  gratitude,  as  long  as  I  have  the  use  of  my 
mental  faculties.  I  have  been  as  one  plucked  from 
the  burning,  rescued  from  the  brink  of  a  horrible  pit. 
Oh,  how  can  the  extent  of  the  Lord's  love,  mercy, 
pity,  and  tender  compassion  be  fathomed  !  " 

Once,  when  speaking  with  a  lady  respecting  one  of 
the  most  eminent  and  distinguished  workers  in  this 
generation,  I  asked  the  history  of  her  conversion. 
The  reply  was :  "  She  was  spoken  to  when  a  young 
girl  by  a  lady  who  was  walking  so  near  to  God  that 
her  words  were  not  permitted  to  fall  to  the  ground." 
How  much  this  was  the  case  with  the  Quakeress  who 
spoke  to  young  Grellet  at  the  officer's  table  will  be 
obvious.  Quakerism  was  at  that  time  exposed  to 
much  of  misunderstanding,  misrepresentation,  and 
obloquy.  For  a  brief  time,  therefore,  Stephen  Grellet 
hesitated  to  unite  with  the  Friends.  Others  dissuaded 
him.  But  his  generous  nature  inclined  him  to  those 
who  had  taken  such  interest  in  his  religious  welfare, 
and,  his  intrepidity  of  character  overcoming  his 
scruples,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  join  with  Friends  in 
their  meetings  for  Divine  worship.  It  was  well  it  was 
so.  It  was  unquestionably  a  part  of  the  teaching  of 
the  Lord.  In  no  other  communion  could  he  at  that 
time  have  exercised  his  gifts  as  a  layman,  or  been 
introduced  to  circles  of  usefulness  so  wide  and  varied. 

Times  have  happily  changed  since  then.  Laymen 
are  now  among  the  most  powerful  pleaders  on  behalf 
of  the  gospel.  But  at  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
the  Methodists  excepted,  it  was  among  Friends  chiefly 


THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  27 

that  there  was  that  large  freedom  for  Christian  testi- 
mony which  was  the  sign  of  the  apostolic  times,  and 
is  so  grandly  the  characteristic  of  the  present  age. 
The  young  convert  says  : — 

"  I  was  brought  to  endure  the  world's  reproaches, 
or  anything  it  might  be  suffered  to  inflict.  I  continued 
diligently  to  attend  meetings,  which  were  held  in 
silence.  Very  few  persons  assembled  there,  and  I  had 
no  communication  with  them  at  all  for  some  time.  I 
have  frequently  considered  since,  that  it  was  a  favor 
that  my  lot  was  cast  in  a  place  where  I  had  no  out- 
ward dependence  to  lean  upon.  In  religious  meetings, 
as  well  as  out  of  them,  my  single  concern  was  to  feel 
after  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  my  own 
heart.  As  my  acquaintance  with  these  increased,  so 
did  my  exercises.  My  heart  was  fitly  compared  to 
the  ground  covered  with  thorns  and  briers,  and  even 
sturdy  oaks  and  tall  cedars.  Oh,  how  many  things 
had  to  be  removed  out  of  the  way,  to  give  room  for 
the  heavenly  seed  to  grow !  The  axe  of  God's  power 
was  lifted  up  against  the  root  of  the  corrupt  tree.  As 
wave  follows  wave,  so  did  my  exercises.  Yet  I  must 
testify  of  the  Lord's  unspeakable  love  extended 
towards  me;  it  was  great  indeed.  The  sense  of  it 
was  so  much  with  me,  that  I  do  not  know  whether 
tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  have  not  flowed  as  plenti- 
fully as  those  of  grief,  which  latter  have  not  been  few." 

Pause  for  a  moment  to  note  the  above  words  :  "  It 
was  a  favor  that  my  lot  was  -cast  in  a  place  where  I 
had  no  outward  dependence  to  lean  upon."  Is  there 
not  a  possibility  of  the  interior  life  being  impoverished 


23  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

by  a  too  ready  reliance  upon  external  aids,  and  depen- 
dence upon  human  support  and  counsel  ?  Peace,  rest, 
and  power  can  only  be  found  as  the  soul  of  a  mortal 
is  brought  into  a  real  communion  and  fellowship  with 
the  Saviour.  There  must  be,  as  in  Stephen  Grellet's 
case,  the  grateful  appropriation  at  the  foot  of  the  cross 
of  the  Redeemer's  atonement,  and  the  adoring  personal 
confidence,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed."  The 
guidance  of  an  experienced  teacher  is  most  valuable, 
but  it  may  be  over-rated.  The  Lord  Jesus  allowed 
Saul  of  Tarsus  to  be  three  days  alone  in  his  chamber 
at  Damascus  before  He  sent  to  him  Ananias.  The 
history  of  Paul  would  probably  not  have  been  the 
same  had  Ananias  been  with  him  through  those  three 
days.  Oh, the  strength  there  is  in  the  purpose:  "My 
soul,  wait  thou  only  upon  God,  for  my  expectation  is 
from  Him ! " 

One  other  remark  is  necessary  after  the  record  of 
the  history  of  this  young  noble's  conversion.  It  might 
seem  as  if  he  sought  peace  in  his  "  inward  silent  frame 
of  mind."  But  this  would  be  a  misconception  of  his 
meaning ;  and  it  is  most  important  to  realize  that  the 
gracious  language  of  God,  is,  "  Look  unto  Me  and  be 
ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth."  "  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

Let  us  hear  this  young  man  concerning  another 
meeting  he  attended. 

"  Very  soon  after  sitting  down,  great  was  the  awful- 
ness  and  reverence  that  came  upon  me.  It  was 
succeeded  by  such  a  view  and  sense  of  my  sinful  life, 
that  I  was  like  one  crushed  under  the  millstones.     My 


THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  29 

misery  was  great;  my  cry  was  not  unlike  that  of 
Isaiah,  '  Woe  is  me  for  I  am  undone  /'  But  how  can  I 
set  forth  the  fulness  of  heavenly  joy  that  filled  me 
when  the  hope  was  again  raised  that  there  was  One, 
even  He  whom  I  had  pierced,  Jesus  Christ  the 
Redeemer,  that  was  able  to  save  me?  I  saw  Him  to 
be  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world ;  who  was  delivered  for  our  offenses,  and  raised 
again  for  our  justification;  who  is  our  propitiatory 
sacrifice,  our  Advocate  with  the  Father,  our  Intercessor 
with  God.  On  my  earnest  petition  being  put  up  to 
Him,  the  language  was  proclaimed,  '  Thy  sins  are 
forgiven,  thy  iniquities  are  pardoned/  Floods  of 
tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  gave  vent  to  the  fulness  of 
my  heart ! " 

This  crisis  in  his  spiritual  being  was  marked  in 
young  Grellet's  experience  by  a  full-hearted  surrender 
of  himself  to  the  God  of  his  salvation.  The  language 
of  his  heart  was — "  I  am  wholly  the  Lord's."  Very 
heavy  trials  had  broken  the  pride  of  nature.  The 
will,  which  is  the  very  centre  of  our  personality,  was 
in  his  case  consecrated.  Rarely  could  one  have  said 
more  truly : 

"  Let  others  seek  earth's  honors  ;  be  it  mine 
One  law  to  cherish,  and  to  track  one  line, 
Straight  on  towards  heaven  to  press  with  single  bent, 
To  know  and  love  my  God,  and  then  to  die  content." 

Speaking  now  of  his  "  dear  brother,"  he  says : 
"  Seeing  how  my  face  was  turned,  he  began  to  unite 
with  some  of  the  people  about  me  in  reproaching  the 


SO  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

way  in  which  the  Lord  led  me,  which  added  much  to 
my  grief.  He  could  not  bear  to  hear  me  tell  of  the 
Lord's  work,  as  it  was  upon  me.  In  my  absence, 
however,  I  found  after  a  while  that  he  read  William 
Penn's  works.  This  encouraged  me  to  hope  that  a 
seeking  disposition  was  awakened,  though  he  tried  to 
shake  it  off.  One  First  Day  morning,  when  my 
prayer  had  been  renewedly  put  up  in  secret  for  him, 
he  called  me  back,  after  I  had  set  out  to  go  to 
meeting,  saying  he  would  go  with  me.  How  thankful 
did  I  feel !  Very  few  words  passed  between  us  by 
the  way.  The  earnest  petition  of  my  heart  was  unto 
the  Lord,  that  the  power  of  His  love  and  presence 
might  be  so  displayed,  as  to  convince  my  dear  brother, 
and  brinj  him  to  bow  to  His  righteous  sceptre.  My 
prayers  were  heard. 

"  My  gratitude  was  great  when  I  found  that  he  had 
partaken  of  the  heavenly  visitation.  From  that  time 
he  attended  meetings  diligently,  and  was  a  great 
comfort  to  me.  But,  during  all  that  period,  we  had 
no  intercourse  with  any  of  the  members  of  the  reli- 
gious Society  of  Friends." 

What  abundant  encouragement  does  such  a  record 
furnish  of  the  fact  that  the  great  Father  moves  in 
His  pitying,  yearning  love  upon  the  hearts  of  His 
children,  and  that  no  pride  of  rank,  or  conventional 
prejudice,  can  turn  aside  the  power  of  believing  prayer. 
There  is  nothing  this  age  needs  more  to  learn  than  that 
the  history  of  Stephen  Grellet's  conversion  is  being 
daily  repeated.  The  acceptance  of  the  facts  of  this 
experience,  and  of  these  preternatural  visitations,  would 


THE  GREAT  CHANGE.  31 

do  more  than  anything  else  to  arrest  the  materialistic 
skepticism  that  is  the  dark  shadow  over  the  closing 
years  of  this  century.  "Every  good  gift,"  said  St.  James, 
"  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down 
from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is  no  variable- 
ness, neither  shadow  of  turning."  "  Greater  is  the 
witness  to  God's  goodness  in  the  regeneration  of  man 
than  that  which  is  written  on  the  dome  of  heaven." 
"  Of  His  own  will  begat  He  us  with  the  word  of 
truth,  that  we  should  be  a  kind  of  first  fruits  "  of  the 
redemption  and  deliverance  of  creation  itself  and  of 
the  glorious  day  when  He  who  undertook  the  salva- 
tion of  the  world  shall  say—"  BEHOLD  I  MAKE 
ALL  THINGS  NEW."  Meanwhile,  there  cannot  be 
a  better  prayer  and  sacrifice  for  us,  morning  by 
morning,  than  to  say  in  the  Saviour's  blessed  name  : — 

"  O  Israel's  God,  I  bring  Thee  now  my  will, 
That  would  be  Thine  whate'er  it  cost, 
I  love  Thy  gifts,  yet  love  Thee  most ; 
This  is  my  prayer  while  yet  the  morn  is  still, 
Take  Thou  my  will. 

The  soul  and  body  Thou  dost  hold  in  life, 

Be  ever  ready  in  Thy  fear 

To  fight  for  truth  and  justice  here, 
And  trusting  Thee,  to  meet  the  final  strifee 
For  Thou  art  life." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  DIVINE   CALL. 

THERE  are  two  ways  of  going  up  to  the  cross. 
One  is  that,  alas  !  of  multitudes.  They  seem  to 
prostrate  themselves  before  the  Saviour.  They  believe 
that  He  died  for  the  guilty.  They  are  glad  there  is 
rest  for  the  conscience  through  Him.  They  go  away 
to  pursue  their  schemes  of  business  or  pleasure  as 
heretofore.  Religion  to  them  is  like  a  ledger,  settled 
and  shelved.  Happily  there  are  others  who  receive  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and,  over- 
whelmed with  gratitude  before  the  transcendent  sacri- 
fice, say  with  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  "For  me  to 
live  is  Christ."  "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in 
me ;  and  the  life  that  I  now  live  in  this  bodily  frame  I 
live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and 
gave  Himself  for  me."  A  dreary  and  ineffective  life 
do  the  first  persons  live,  and  a  poor  time  they  will 
have  in  the  eternal  realm. 

It  is  however  needful  to  say  that  a  true  Christian 
before  the  cross  does  not  so  much  ask  for  self-sacrifice, 
as  that  through  the  power  of  that  cross  he  may  per- 
fectly accept  in  all  things  the  zvill  of  God.  A  man  need 
not  covet  the  reproach  of  the  cross ;  but  he  must  ask 
to  be  prepared  for  it.     Self-inflicted  suffering  for  Christ, 

(32) 


THE  DIVINE  CALL.  33 

is  not  so  holy  a  disposition  as  the  complete  surrender 
of  the  will  to  Him.  Although  Saul  of  Tarsus  preached 
Christ  as  we  gather,  immediately  after  his  conversion, 
he  did  not  thrust  himself  into  the  obloquies  and  labors 
of  the  apostolic  band.  There  is  no  more  instructive 
passage  in  Paul's  history  than  when  we  see  him  retiring 
to  his  native  city  Tarsus  that  he  might  await  the 
unfolding  of  the  will  of  the  Lord.  There  Barnabas 
sought  and  found  him;  and  as  he  heard  of  the  won- 
derful movement  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Syrian  Antioch, 
he  was  at  once  in  readiness  to  obey  the  call  of  the 
Lord  as  the  visit  of  Barnabas  interpreted  it. 

Stephen  Grellet  remarks  after  his  conversion,  "  I 
thought  I  heard  a  sweet  language  saying,  *  Proclaim 
unto  others  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  thy  soul.'  Ap- 
prehending that  this  was  a  requisition  of  present  duty, 
I  began  to  plead  excuses,  from  the  consciousness  of 
my  inability  to  perform  the  service.  '  Thou  knowest, 
O  Lord,  that  I  cannot  speak  English  so  as  to  be  under- 
stood,' was  my  answer,  '  and  what  am  I,  that  I  should 
proclaim  Thy  name  ?' 

11  There  was  not  the  least  feeling  then  in  me  to  flinch 
from  doing,  or  becoming,  whatever  the  Lord  would 
require  of  me,  but  a  sense  of  my  inability  and  unwor- 
thiness.  My  spirit  continued  prostrated  before  the 
Lord,  and  encircled  with  his  love  and  presence." 

In  this  childlikeness  of  spirit,  waiting  to  do  or  become 
"whatever  the  Lord  might  require  "of  him,  he  continued 
simple  in  character,  and  unobtrusive  inbearing.  "When 
.r^dies  in  the  soul,  God  lives  ;  when  self  is  annihilated 
God  is  enthroned."     A  man  truly  devoted  to  God  will 


34  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

be  in  accord  with  all  the  duties  of  life,  and  we  find  this 
young  believer  naturally  occupied  with  the  condition 
of  those  dear  to  him.  His  father  was  shut  up  in 
prison ;  his  mother  and  younger  brother  were  suffering 
the  severest  privations.  He  remarks,  however :  "  By 
letters  from  our  dear  parents,  we  learnt  that  it  was 
their  choice  that  we  should,  for  the  time  being  at 
least,  remain  in  this  country,  seeing  that  the  troubles 
in  France  continued  great,  and  that  our  lives  would 
be  exposed  by  returning  to  it.  Our  parents  were  in 
constant  jeopardy.  Their  estates  were  under  seques- 
tration, and  it  became  necessary  for  us  to  turn  our 
attention  towards  engaging  in  some  kind  of  business. 
Our  means  began  to  be  low,  and  yet  our  feelings  for 
the  sufferings  in  which  our  beloved  parents  might  be 
involved  caused  us  to  forward  them  a  few  hundred 
dollars  we  had  yet  left. 

"I  did  not  find  it  easy  to  obtain  suitable  employ- 
ment, but  I  sought  right  direction  of  the  Lord.  We 
first  came  to  New  York,  where  I  stayed  about  two 
weeks.  I  was  much  refreshed  with  the  company  of 
some  valuable  Friends.  I  considered  it  a  privilege  to 
sit  with  them  in  their  religious  meetings.  The  exer- 
cise of  bearing  a  public  testimony  to  the  Lord's  truth, 
and  of  declaring  what  He  had  done  for  me,  came  upon 
me  with  force.  But  dwelling  in  stillness,  and  waiting 
for  clearness,  I  was  favored  to  see  that  the  time  was 
not  yet. 

"  It  was  concluded  that  I  should  go  to  Philadelphia, 
while  my  brother,  meeting  with  a  situation,  continued 
in  New  York.     Our  separation  was  painful,  having 


THE  DIVINE  CALL.  35 

partaken  together  of  many  trials,  and  feeling  much 
united  in  our  religious  services.  I  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia in  the  12th  month,  1795,  and  met  with  a  very 
kind  reception  from  many  Friends. 

"  I  had  several  offers  to  engage  in  commercial  con- 
cerns, both  in  Philadelphia,  and  from  my  European 
friends,  from  whom  I  received  proposals,  by  letters,  to 
place  me  in  an  extensive  way  of  business  with  the 
West  Indies  and  Holland.  But  I  saw  that  if  I  did,  the 
sense  of  a  new  life  in  me,  that  was  very  tender,  might 
easily  be  destroyed.  I  therefore  preferred,  for  awhile, 
the  occupation  of  teaching  the  French  language.  I 
engaged  in  it,  it  is  true,  as  a  cross ;  but,  having  repeated 
evidence  that  it  was  a  right  engagement  for  me,  it 
became  easy  to  submit  to  it.  I  was  at  first  concerned 
lest  it  should  not  be  sufficient  to  procure  me  a  living. 
After  many  anxious  thoughts,  one  day,  as  my  mind 
was  gathered  in  reverent  silence  before  the  Lord,  the 
language  was  strongly  impressed :  '  Seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  things 
needful  shall  be  added.'  The  evidence  that  it  was  the 
direction  of  Omnipotence  was  so  clear,  that  for  month.s 
after  that  I  was  so  relieved  from  temporal  anxiety  that 
I  had  no  more  thought  about  it.  I  was  closely  en- 
gaged in  my  school,  yet  the  one  thing  needful  only 
absorbed  me,  whilst  walking  in  the  streets,  or  sitting 
in  the  house.  The  remembrance  of  those  days  can 
but  deeply  humble  me  with  gratitude,  seeing  how  the 
Lord  kept  me  close  to  Himself.  A  sense  of  His 
presence  was  so  continually  upon  me,  that  not  only 
my   words,    but   my   thoughts   also,   were   narrowly 


*<3  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

watched.  My  exercises  had  no  interruption,  but,  like 
the  rolling  waves  of  the  ocean,  they  flowed  one  upon 
another.  If  I  took  a  book  to  read,  a  single  line  would 
detain  me  for  hours.  Sometimes  I  have  been  a  whole 
week  in  reading  and  pondering  a  single  chapter  in  the 
Bible. 

"  My  mind  was,  at.  seasons,  so  taken  up  with  a  sense 
of  the  Lord's  love,  that  it  seemed  as  if  I  could  have 
continued  days  and  nights  swallowed  up  in  it.  But 
though  the  love  of  God  thus  filled  my  heart,  yet  most 
of  the  time  it  was  clothed  with  deep  exercises.  Every 
step  of  my  past  life  was  retraced  again  and  again.  I 
suffered  deeply  not  only  for  the  evil  I  had  done,  but 
also  for  the  good  I  had  omitted  to  do.  I  saw  the 
emptiness  and  arrogance  of  Cain's  reply  to  the  Al- 
mighty, '  Am  I  my  brother's  keeper  ?  '  We  ought  to 
be  watchers  over  one  another,  and  great  is  our  respon- 
sibility as  moral  agents." 

The  beauty  and  impressiveness  of  this  record  will 
be  apparent,  but  let  us  adore  that  Divine  love  and 
wisdom  which  thus  purifies  the  vessel  that  it  may  be 
meet  for  God's  use,  and  prepared  for  receiving  the 
heavenly  treasure.  Such  waiting  upon  the  Lord,  such 
spiritual  thoughtfulness,  and  such  humblings  of  self 
because  of  past  offenses,  become  the  best  education  for 
effective  service  with  a  view  to  the  salvation  of  men. 
This  period,  when  the  young  noble  preferred  the 
humiliation  of  teaching  in  a  school  to  exposing  the 
early  days  of  a  new  life  of  religion  to  the  perils  of  foreign 
mercantile  pursuits,  became  an  excellent  preparation 
for  his  subsequent  apostolic  life.     Not  only  was  he 


THE  DIVINE  CALL.  37 

able  to  acquire  a  better  knowledge  of  English,  but  the 
retirement  was  singularly  helpful.  "  In  God's  view 
the  time  of  a  thing  is  as  essential  as  the  thing  itself." 
Many  a  kernel  would  have  been  riper  when  taken  out 
of  the  shell  had  it  been  allowed  to  grow  longer  in 
silence  and  hiddenness. 

It  was  at  this  time;  however,  that  the  inward  call  of 
the  Spirit  began  to  be  heard  more  powerfully  in  his 
soul.  It  was  God's  will  that  he  should  go  among  the 
nations,  as  a  witness  for  the  inward  religion  of  the  heart 
instead  of  the  ceremonial  one  of  external  forms.  The 
nineteenth  century  now  about  to  dawn  required  such  a 
witness.  As  we  read  of  his  "  exercises  "  at  this  period 
we  may  think  it  was  the  voice  of  nature  impelling  him; 
but  why  should  it  be  thought  strange  if  we  regard  it  as 
the  voice  of  God  ?  Did  not  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  come 
upon  the  Hebrew  prophets  ?  May  not  an  imperious 
conviction  that  he  had  to  minister  for  the  Lord  have 
become  as  a  holy  fire  in  the  heart  of  Stephen  Grellet? 
About  a  year  after  he  had  been  teaching,  he  says  of 
the  religious  assemblies  in  which  he  was  accustomed 
to  sit  in  silence : 

"  Meeting  after  meeting  I  was  under  the  pressure  of 
exercise  to  stand  up  and  speak  a  kw  words ;  but  the 
sense  of  the  awfulness  of  the  engagement  prevented 
me.  Oh,  the  depth  of  my  baptisms,  in  those  days ! 
My  disobedience  did  not,  however,  proceed  from  any 
outward  considerations,  or  even  the  crosses  involved 
to  the  natural  man.  I  was  brought  too  low  to  have 
thoughts  of  this  kind;  and,  I  think  I  may  say,  my 
love  for  my  dear  Master  was  so  great,  that  no  sacrifice 


38  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

or  suffering  would  then  have  been  thought  too  much; 
but  I  could  not  believe  that  such  a  poor  creature  as  I 
was,  such  a  great  sinner  as  I  had  been,  could  be  fit  to 
engage  in  such  a  solemn  work." 

He  records  also :  "  I  saw  my  unworthiness  to  engage 
in  such  a  sacred  service,  and  felt  myself  to  be  alto- 
gether a  child,  that  was  only  beginning  to  breathe  the 
breath  of  life.     .     . 

"  How  great  was  the  Divine  condescension  in  those 
days !  As  a  father  answereth  his  child,  so  the  Lord 
condescended  to  answer  all  my  pleadings  and  excuses; 
to  give  me  also  a  sense  of  the  source  from  whence  all 
power,  strength,  and  ability  flow.  He  showed  me 
how  He  is  mouth,  wisdom,  and  utterance  to  His  true 
and  faithful  ministers ;  that  it  is  from  Him  alone  that 
they  are  to  receive  the  subject  they  are  to  communi- 
cate to  the  people,  and  also  the  when  and  the  how .  It 
is  He  who  gfveth  the  seeing  eye,  the  hearing  ear,  the 
understanding  heart,  and  enableth  the  dumb  to  speak. 

"It  was  on  the  20th  of  1st  month,  1796,  the  third 
day  of  the  week,  that  I  first  opened  my  mouth  in  the 
ministry.  For  some  days  after  this  act  of  dedication, 
my  peace  flowed  as  a  river,  whilst  mine  eyes  were  like 
fountains  of  tears  of  gratitude,  in  that  the  Lord  had  so 
mercifully  continued  to  bear  with  me." 

We  cannot  read  these  heart  experiences  of  the 
inward  call  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  the  trembling  and 
backwardness  on  the  other,  without  reminding  our- 
selves of  the  two  great  prophets  of  Israel.  The  word 
of  the  Lord  came  to  Jeremiah,  saying,  "  Before  thou 
wast  born  I  ordained  thee  a  prophet  unto  the  nations." 


THE  Dl  VINE  CALL.  89 

Then  said  the  son  of  Hilkiah,  "  Ah,  Lord  God  !  behold 
I  cannot  speak,  for  I  am  a  child."  At  that  cry 
Jehovah  put  forth  His  hand,  the  prophet  tells  us,  and 
touched  his  mouth  and  said,  "  Behold  I  have  put  My 
words  in  thy  mouth."  It  was  also  when  Isaiah  cried 
out,  "  Woe  is  me !  for  I  am  undone  ;  because  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips,"  that  one  of  the  seraphim  flew 
and  laid,  from  off  the  altar,  the  live  coal  upon  the 
prophet's  mouth,  and  said,  "  Lo,  this  hath  touched  thy 
lips."  Words  given  from  God  to  lips  touched  by  the 
perpetual  fire  become  all-powerful.  The  wondrous 
word  respecting  the  one  great  '•  Servant  of  God  "  was, 
"  He  shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  His  mouth, 
and  with  the  breath  of  His  lips  shall  He  slay  the  wicked." 
How  well  Jeremiah  understood  the  necessity  of  receiv- 
ing the  message  at  the  steps  of  the  throne  of  the  Lord  is 
evident  from  his  declaration  concerning  false  prophets, 
"  I  sent  them  not,  nor  commanded  them  ;  therefore  they 
shall  not  profit  this  people  at  all,  saith  the  Lord."  "  No 
man  taketh  this  honor  to  himself" — i.  e.,  of  being  a 
priest — "  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,"  is  the  language 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  Blessed  is  the  Chris- 
tian teacher  who  has  first  this  internal  call  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  with  these  motions  of  the  Spirit  on  heart,  will, 
and  judgment!  How  much  Paul  laid  stress  on  the 
inward  and  outward  call  to  be  an  apostle  !  Doubtless, 
great  confidence  and  ability  to  bear  the  heavy  trials  of 
the  ministry  come  from  this  assurance.  Weighty  are 
the  words  of  the  pious  Quesnel,  "  The  ministry  is  a 
matter  of  pure  grace  and  favor ;  who  then  will  dare  to 
enter  it  without  a  Divine  call  ?     There  is  nothing  in 


40  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

which  a  king  would  willingly  be  more  absolute  than  the 
choice  of  his  ministers.  And  shall  we  dare  to  contest 
and  take  away  this  right  from  the  King  of  kings  ?" 
Wise  is  he  who,  aspiring  to  teach  in  the  streets,  or 
mission  room,  or  the  sanctuary  of  God,  shall  ponder 
these  things. 

In  Stephen  Grellet's  case  the  external  call  was  not 
wanting.  Helped  in  the  highest  interests  and  in  so 
remarkable  a  manner  by  Friends,  it  was  a  most  natu- 
ral result  that  this  young  convert  from  Roman  Catholi- 
cism should  make  application  for  membership  in  the 
Society.  Their  benevolent  and  honorable  spirit,  their 
emphatic  Protestantism,  and  their  hearty  assent  and 
consent  to  the  doctrine  that  all  truth  essential  to 
human  salvation  is  to  be  found  in  Holy  Scripture, 
commended  themselves  to  this  young  exile,  as  well 
as  that  he  owed  much  to  the  friendly  interest  of  the 
Society. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  1796,  when  Grellet  was  in  his 
twenty- fourth  year,  that  the  Friends  received  him  into 
their  fellowship,  and  recognized  his  gifts  as  a  speaker 
in  the  name  of  their  and  his  Master.  Even  then,  how- 
ever, he  wisely  says,  u  No  man,  nor  any  religious  body, 
can  save  any ;  salvation  cometh  from  God  alone." 

After  continuing  to  exercise  his  gift  as  a  teacher  of 
the  gospel,  in  March,  1798,  he  was  duly  recorded  as  a 
minister  of  Christ  by  the  monthly  meeting  of  Friends 
for  the  Northern  District  in  Philadelphia.  The  event 
he  says,  k<  brought  me  under  renewed  concern  that  I 
might  be  so  preserved  in  watchfulness,  and  humble 
walking  before  the  Lord,  as  in  no  wise  to  wound  His 


THE  DIVINE  CALL  41 

great  and  blessed  cause,  which  I  believed  He  had 
condescended  to  call  such  a  poor  unworthy  instru- 
ment to  espouse.  In  those  days  my  mind  dwelt  much 
on  the  nature  of  the  hope  of  redemption  through 
Jesus  Christ.  I  felt  the  efficacy  of  that  grace  by  which 
we  are  saved,  through  faith  in  Christ  and  His  atoning 
blood,  and  the  excellency  of  the  blessed  gifts  which, 
in  consequence  of  this  the  meritorious  sacrifice  of 
Himself  for  sinful  man,  are  offered  to  the  believer  in 
His  name." 

He  was  not,  however,  without  his  great  sorrows 
during  these  years.  "  The  accounts  which  I  received, 
in  those  days,"  he  remarks,  "  of  the  distracted  state  of 
my  native  country  much  afflicted  me.  My  dear 
parents  being  in  prison,  I  expected  every  day  to  receive 
the  mournful  tidings  of  their  having  met  with  a  cruel 
death,  among  the  many  victims  who  fell  a  sacrifice  to 
the  ferocious  spirit  that  had  overspread  the  nation. 
Some  of  those  who  heretofore  had  professed  to  be  the 
most  intimate  friends  of  my  dear  father,  and  others  to 
whom  he  had  rendered  many  services,  were  now  his 
greatest  enemies  and  persecutors." 

To  God  he  talked  and  prayed  without  ceasing,  and 
he  adds,  "  It  may  be  proper  to  state,  that  my  parents 
were  preserved  from  an  untimely  death,  and  delivered 
from  the  hands  of  unmerciful  men,  though  my  father 
was  several  times  on  the  very  eve  of  being  taken  to 
the  guillotine,  and  my  mother  also.  It  was  finally 
concluded  that  they,  and  others,  should  be  put  to 
death  the  day  following  the  death  of  Robespierre, 
when,   that  very   morning,  instead  of  being   led   to 


42  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

execution,  the  prison  doors  were  opened  for  their 
liberation,  I  may  further  gratefully  say,  that  none  of 
my  near  relatives  suffered  a  violent  death  during  those 
days  of  terror.  A  first  cousin  of  mine  was  ordered  to 
be  put  to  death,  but  on  the  morning  appointed  for  his 
execution  he  was  rescued." 

Social  and  national  controversies  also  occupied  and 
distressed  him.  It  required  singular  courage  in  the 
United  States,  at  the  end  of  the  last  century,  to  main- 
tain the  rights  of  the  Africans,  whose  slavery  had  been 
the  sad  inheritance  which  Great  Britain  had  bequeathed 
to  her  colonies  The  foremost  in  the  noble  band  of 
Abolitionists,  who  would  at  length  arouse  the  torpid 
conscience  of  the  States  on  this  question,  were  the 
Friends ;  and  this  young  man,  identified  with  them  in 
this  sentiment,  observes : 

"Another  subject,  which  obtained  much  of  the  atten- 
tion of  Friends,  was  the  state  of  the  oppressed  Africans. 
The  Yearly  Meeting  came  to  the  conclusion  that  any 
people  of  color,  becoming  convinced  of  our  principles, 
and  making  application  to  be  received  as  members  of 
our  Society,  ought  to  be  treated  as  white  persons, 
without  any  distinction  on  account  of  color,  seeing 
that  there  is  none  with  God,  who  has  made  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  of  one  blood,  and  that  Jesus  Christ 
has  died  for  all,  and  is  the  Saviour  of  all  who  believe 
in  Him,  of  whatever  nation  or  color  they  may  be." 

No  estimate  at  this  day  can  be  formed  of  the  value 
and  weight  of  such  a  testimony,  and  of  the  social 
sufferings  incident  to  such  action.  In  exalting  those 
who  are  permitted  to  accomplish  a  grand  deliverance, 


THE  DIVINE  CALL.  43 

we  must  not  forget  the  first  confessors  against  the  in- 
justice, and  the  first  workers  for  the  final  victory.  At 
the  beginning  of  this  century  the  prejudice  in  America 
against  the  colored  people  was  very  marked.  The 
Africans — and  even  such  as  were  of  fairer  color  than 
their  masters — were  not  allowed  to  journey,  or  sit  in 
churches,  by  the  side  of  the  whites.  The  antipathy 
prevailed  even  in  the  non-slaveholding  States.  That 
so  far  back  therefore  as  1798  the  Society  of  Friends 
should  have  adopted  the  humane  principle  of  which 
Mr.  Grellet  makes  mention,  must  be  held  to  have 
placed  them  far  in  advance  of  other  religious  organiza- 
tions. 

11  Oh,  bless'd  is  he  to  whom  is  given 
The  instinct  that  can  tell, 
That  God  is  on  the  field,  when  He 
Is  most  invisible. 

And  bless'd  is  he  who  can  divine 

Where  real  right  doth  lie, 
And  dares  to  take  the  side  that  seems 

Wrong  to  man's  blinded  eye." 


CHAPTER  V. 

DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS. 

THE  scientific  spirit  cannot  admit  the  super- 
natural," is  an  assumed  axiom  which  by  its 
very  boldness  has  been  sorely  misleading  young  and 
earnest  inquirers.  But  is  not  "the  scientific  spirit" 
the  expression  of  the  science  of  induction,  and  of  the 
modern  and  accepted  philosophy?  It  may  be  true 
that  science  must  study  the  law  of  causes  and  effects 
in  nature  without  introducing  the  supernatural.  But 
if  in  the  moral  sphere  incontestable  facts  come  before 
us  which  point  to  the  supernatural,  it  cannot  be  a  true 
scientific  spirit  to  ignore  them.  To  frame  a  theory 
that  there  is  nothing  supernatural,  and  then  to  shut 
the  eyes  to  phenomena  which  do  not  fit  in  with  it,  is 
to  be  led  by  the  old  methods  of  philosophy,  and  is 
provoking  a  very  healthy  reaction  among  some  of  the 
highest  scientific  minds  of  our  period.  The  coolness 
with  which  the  doctrine  of  evolution  is  accepted  while 
it  proceeds  under  self-acting  laws,  and  the  hostility  to 
the  doctrine  when  accompanied  by  the  idea  of  will, 
not  only  does  not  harmonize  with  true  science,  but 
not  even  with  common  intelligence  and  candor.  We 
Christians  maintain  that  men  are  sorely  pressed  by 
temptation  and  sorrow ; 

(44) 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS.  45 

"  The  fool  hath  said  there  is  no  God, 
But  none  there  is  no  sorrow." 

We  contend  that  human  history  gives  proof  of  facts 
which  go  to  show  that  a  Divine  power  has  been  seek- 
ing through  all  the  ages  to  arrest  temptation  and  heal 
sorrow.  We  contend  further  that  utter  incredulity  as 
to  these  facts  is  wholly  inexcusable,  and  that  to  deny 
them  is  not  to  get  rid  of  them.  In  the  history  of 
Stephen  Grellet,  as  in  that  of  other  saintly  persons, 
there  are  incidents  and  experiences  that  point  to 
Divine  interpositions.  Credulity  and  superstition  may 
magnify  this  superhuman  control.  Sweeping  asser- 
tions, however,  that  it  does  not  exist  may  be  more 
hurtful  to  a  generation  than  the  easy  credulity.  To 
many  persons,  for  "  the  Father  of  the  spirits  of  all 
flesh  "  to  touch  the  heart  and  to  mould  the  events  of 
life  of  His  servants  with  a  view  to  the  good  of  His 
suffering  creatures  appears  a  most  Divine  act;  and 
probably  in  the  history  of  a  St.  Paul,  a  St.  Anthony, 
a  Catherine  of  Sienna,  a  Savonarola,  and  a  Wesley — 
that  is,  of  persons  who  more  than  others  were  lifted 
out  of  the  self-life  into  a  region  transcending  ordinary 
experiences — if  we  knew  the  nature  of  the  fellowship 
they  maintained  with  God,  the  opening  of  their  ear  and 
the  quickening  of  their  understanding  to  comprehend 
the  Divine  sympathies,  we  should  have  an  explanation 
of  facts  which  are  questioned  or  denied  by  those  who 
are  actuated  by  a  lower  spiritual  life. 

Stephen  Grellet  remained  in  Philadelphia  three 
years.     Being  a  minister  of  Christ  among  the  Friends 


46  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

did  not  imply  a  professional  position.  He  was  still,  if 
the  conventional  term  may  be  allowed,  a  simple  lay- 
man, but  one  whose  gifts  and  calling  as  a  preacher  were 
fully  recognized  by  the  Society.  An  awful  sweep  of 
most  malignant  fever  passed  over  Philadelphia  in  1 798. 

Grellet  was  in  Jersey,  but  hearing  of  the  yellow 
fever,  returned  to  the  city,  spite  of  the  dissuasions  of 
his  friends.  He  says:  "My  mind  was  perfectly  calm 
about  the  danger  of  which  I  was  warned.  When  I 
came  into  the  city  the  sight  was  solemn.  That  great 
city,  but  a  few  days  before  full  of  inhabitants,  was  now 
nearly  deserted ;  its  heretofore  crowded  streets  were 
trodden  by  a  few  solitary  individuals,  whose  counte- 
nances bespoke  seriousness  or  sadness.  On  reaching 
the  friend's  house  where  I  made  my  home,  I  found  it 
shut  up,  like  most  of  the  neighbors' ;  but  obtaining 
the  key,  I  opened  it,  and  resumed  my  former  abode, 
though  alone  in  it. 

"  I  went  about  for  some  time,  visiting  the  sick  and 
dying,  and  assisting  in  burying  the  dead.  My  feelings 
were  much  awakened,  both  on  account  of  strangers 
and  Friends.  How  sweet  and  peaceful  was  the  close 
of  some,  so  that  I  could  have  joyfully  exchanged  my 
situation  for  theirs  ;  but  how  great  the  contrast  with 
others  !  Some  joyfully  and  smilingly  departed,  in  the 
fulness  of  the  hope  which  the  gospel  inspires;  whereas 
others  experienced  the  agony  and  horrors  of  death, 
throwing  their  arms  around  me,  to  keep  hold  of  a  living 
object,  crying  out  in  bitterness,  '  I  cannot  die  !  I  am 
not  fit  to  die ! '  The  horror  of  this  scene  is  yet  present 
with  me.    O  that  those  who  live  in  pleasure  might  pause 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS.  r!7 

awhile,  and  contemplate  the  awful  subject !  Do  not 
leave  it  to  a  sick-bed,  or  a  dying  hour,  to  make  your 
peace  with  God.  Rather,  I  beseech  you,  improve 
diligently  your  opportunity  in  time  of  health,  and, 
whilst  the  Lord's  visitation  is  extended  to  you,  make 
your  calling  and  election  sure,  through  Jesus  Christ! 

"In  those  days  former  friends  were  deserted;  yea, 
even  the  wife  was  left  by  her  husband,  and  the  husband 
became  a  stranger  to  his  wife,  seeking  safety  in  flight, 
leaving  their  sick  to  the  care  of  a  strange  nurse. 
The  dead  bodies  were  conveyed  to  the  grave,  in  most 
instances,  with  no  other  convoy  than  the  hearse  and 
driver.  This  was  the  case  even  with  those  who,  weeks 
before,  might  have  been  attended  by  hundreds.  Most 
of  the  places  of  worship  were  shut  up. 

It  was  from  this  time  that  the  pitifulness  and  philan^ 
thropy  which  became  the  passion  of  his  life  took  full 
possession  of  his  nature.  For  him  to  see  suffering 
was  always  to  attempt  to  heal  it.  Convenience  or 
self-precautions  were  never  allowed  to  hinder.  Now, 
however,  this  young  man  of  twenty-four  years  is  not 
to  escape  the  malignancy  of  the  disease.  One  day  he 
had  been  attending  to  the  condition  of  some  Lascars 
who  had  been  turned  out  of  an  English  vessel  desti- 
tute and  friendless.  The  extraordinary  exertions  he 
had  to  make  brought  on  an  attack.  Severe  pains  and 
symptoms  of  the  fever  came  on  him.  He  observes : 
"  My  soul  was  swallowed  up  in  the  love  of  God,  and 
perfectly  contented  in  the  will  of  the  Lord.  After  re- 
maining about  an  hour  in  that  state,  feding  my 
strength  fast  declining,  and  being  alone  in  the  house, 


48  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

I  went  down  stairs  to  unlock  the  front  door.  Had  I 
deferred  this  a  little  longer,  it  is  probable  that  I  should 
not  have  had  sufficient  strength  to  do  it,  for  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  I  went  up  stairs  again.  A  friend, 
not  seeing  me  the  next  day  at  the  usual  time,  came  to 
the  house.  He  soon  brought  me  a  physician  and  a 
nurse.  The  former  paid  me  but  a  few  visits ;  for  he 
took  the  fever,  and  died  five  days  after.  The  disorder 
so  increased  upon  me,  that  my  extremities  having  be- 
come cold,  my  coffin  was  ordered,  and  I  was  even 
returned  among  the  daily  deaths  to  the  board  of 
health,  as  a  '  French  Quaker.' 

"  Whilst  death  seemed  to  be  approaching,  and  I 
had  turned  myself  on  one  side,  the  more  easily  to 
breathe  my  last,  my  spirit  feeling  already  as  encircled 
by  the  angelic  host  in  the  Heavenly  Presence,  a  secret 
but  powerful  language  was  proclaimed  on  this  wise : 
'  Thou  shalt  not  die,  but  live — thy  work  is  not  yet 
done.'  Then  the  corners  of  the  earth,  over  seas  and 
lands,  were  opened  to  me,  where  I  should  have  to 
labor  in  the  service  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  O  what 
amazement  I  was  filled  with !  What  a  solemn  and 
awful  prospect  was  set  before  me !  Sorrow  took  hold 
of  me  at  the  words ;  for  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  had 
already  a  foothold  in  the  heavenly  places.  I  wept 
sore ;  but,  as  it  was  the  Divine  will,  I  bowed  in  rever- 
ence before  Him,  interceding  that,  after  I  had  been 
enabled  to  do  the  work  He  had  for  me  to  do,  I 
might  be  permitted  to  be  placed  in  the  same  state  in 
which  I  then  was,  pass  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  strengthened  by  His  Divine  presence, 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS.  49 

and  enter  finally  into  those  glorious  mansions  at  the 
threshold  of  which  my  spirit  had  then  come.  I  saw 
and  felt  that  which  cannot  be  written.  From  that 
time  the  disorder  subsided.  My  strength  by  degrees 
returned,  and,  in  a  very  few  days,  I  was  able  to  be  re- 
moved to  kind  friends.  A  brother  was  then  ill  in  the 
house,  and  died  a  few  days  after ;  I  was  able  to  min- 
ister to  him  to  the  last.  Soon  after  this,  five  of  the 
same  family  were  attacked,  and,  for  a  while,  some  of 
them  were  so  ill  that  going  from  one  to  the  other  I 
hardly  knew  which  of  them  would  die  first.  My 
health  was  yet  very  feeble,  yet  I  think  I  was  about  a 
week  without  undressing  to  go  to  bed.  Part  of  this 
time  there  were  only  two  of  us  to  care  for  them ;  no 
nurses  could  be  obtained.  The  precious  seasons, 
however,  which  I  had  by  the  sick-beds  of  my  friends, 
sitting  under  the  canopy  of  the  Lord's  presence,  often 
changed  these  scenes  of  mourning  into  joy.  They 
all  recovered,  and,  the  sickness  in  the  city  continuing, 
I  resumed  my  visits  to  the  sick  and  the  poor. 

"  One  circumstance  I  may  not  omit  to  notice,  as  a 
confirmation  of  what  the  Lord  had  showed  me  re- 
specting the  exercises  I  must  prepare  for  during  the 
residue  of  my  pilgrimage.  In  a  religious  meeting  I 
was  able  to  attend  soon  after  my  recovery,  Arthur 
Howell,  in  the  course  of  his  testimony,  mentioned  me 
by  name,  and  said  that  the  Lord  had  raised  me  up, 
having  a  service  for  me  to  the  isles  and  nations  afar 
off,  to  the  east  and  west,  the  north  and  south.  I  had 
been  careful  to  keep  to  myself  the  view  I  had  had  of 
these  things  on  what  seemed  to  me  a  death-bed.     I 


60  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

knew  therefore  that  this  was  a  confirmation  of  the 
word  of  the  Lord. 

"After  this,  further  sources  of  mourning  and  deep 
prostration  of  soul  before  the  Lord  were  opened.  For, 
besides  the  continued  distress  in  the  city,  among  my 
friends  and  the  people  at  large,  we  received  informa- 
tion of  the  death  of  many  of  our  friends  from  the 
country,  among  whom  were  about  twenty  ministers 
and  elders.  I  was  very  nearly  united  to  several  of  them 
in  Christian  fellowship;  some  had  been  as  nursing 
fathers  and  mothers  to  me.  Oh,  these  were  days  for 
our  walking  softly  before  the  Lord,  when  with  tremb- 
ling we  waited  for  further  tidings,  having  heard  that 
several  others  in  the  country  were  ill.  Among  these 
was  Warner  Mifflin,  that  great  friend  and  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  the  poor  slaves ;  and,  shortly  after,  we 
heard  of  his  decease  and  that  of  several  others.  My 
own  life  having  been  spared,  even  as  one  raised  from 
the  dead,  quickened  in  me  earnest  desires  that  I  might 
so  walk  before  the  Lord  as  that  my  life  and  my  all 
might  be  devoted  to  His  service." 

In  1799  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  engaged 
with  his  brother  in  mercantile  objects.  He  continues 
in  his  Journal :  "  Some  time  after  this,  I  heard  that  my 
dear  friend  John  Hall  was  coming  from  England  on  a 
religious  visit  to  the  United  States,  and  the  impression 
was  made  strongly  upon  my  mind  that  I  must  stand 
prepared  to  join  and  accompany  him  in  the  service  of 
the  gospel.  I  cried  earnestly  unto  the  Lord  that,  if 
it  was  indeed  His  will  that  I  should  engage  in  such  an 
extensive  work,  He  would  condescend  to  give  me  some 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS.  51 

strong  evidence  of  it,  and  that,  as  a  proof  of  it,  He 
would  give  to  this  dear  friend  to  see  it  himself  with 
clearness.  He  arrived  at  New  York  early  in  the  Tenth 
Month.  I  visited  him  soon  afterwards,  when  he  took 
me  aside  and  told  me,  in  a  solemn  manner,  that  I  was 
the  identical  person  that  he  had  seen,  whilst  at  sea, 
prepared  of  the  Lord  to  be  his  companion  in  the  service 
of  the  gospel  here.  He  further  feelingly  said,  'I  leave 
the  matter  entirely  to  the  Lord  and  to  thee.'  I  felt 
very  cautious  not  to  tell  him  how  it  had  been  with  me, 
though  I  marvelled  at  the  Lord's  condescension  in 
giving  me  such  an  evidence  of  His  will.  After  weigh- 
ing carefully  the  subject,  and  seeking  for  the  Lord's 
direction,  I  concluded  that,  to  have  a  better  opportu- 
nity 'to  try  the  fleece,'  I  would  accompany  him  as  far 
as  Philadelphia,  when,  finding  it  was  a  service  required 
of  me,  I  came  back  to  New  York.  The  Monthly 
Meeting  gave  me  a  certificate  of  unity  and  sympathy 
under  this  prospect  of  religious  service. 

"  Leaving  my  small  temporal  concerns  under  the 
care  of  my  dear  brother  and  partner,  and  resigning 
myself  to  my  dear  Master's  blessed  protection,  and  to 
the  guidance  of  His  Spirit,  I  went  back  to  Philadel- 
phia, to  join  my  beloved  friend  John  Hall." 

With  affectionate  tenderness  and  sympathy  was  he 
received  by  the  Friends  in  that  Quaker  city.  With 
his  colleague  he  proceeded  through  many  towns  on 
their  way  to  Baltimore,  holding  meetings  'wherever 
possible,  and  visiting  families.  Thence  they  proceeded 
through  Maryland  to  Alexandria,  to  Richmond  in 
Virginia,  and  through  North  Carolina.     He  writes : 


62  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

"  There  the  Lord  was  pleased,  in  an  humbling, 
memorable  manner,  to  visit  me  again,  and  to  comfort 
me.  I  had  gone  into  the  woods,  which  are  there  mostly 
of  very  lofty  and  large  pines,  and,  my  mind  being  in- 
wardly retired  before  the  Lord,  He  was  pleased  so  to 
reveal  His  love  to  me,  through  His  blessed  Son,  my 
Saviour,  that  my  many  fears  and  doubts  were  at  that 
time  removed,  my  soul's  wounds  were  healed,  my 
mourning  was  turned  into  joy.  He  clothed  me  with 
the  garment  of  praise,  instead  of  the  spirit  of  heaviness, 
and  He  strengthened  me  to  offer  up  myself  again  freely 
to  Him  and  to  His  service  for  my  whole  life.  Walk, 
O  my  soul,  in  that  path  which  thy  blessed  Master  has 
trodden  before  thee,  and  has  consecrated  for  thee 
Be  also  willing  to  die  to  thyself,  that  thou  mayest  live 
through  faith  in  Him." 

On  returning  he  narrates : 

"  On  our  way  to  Contentnea,  we  had,  amid  immi- 
nent dangers,  a  remarkable  preservation.  At  about 
eight  o'clock  on  a  very  dark  night,  we  came  near  to  a 
creek.  Our  guide,  though  well  acquainted  with  the 
place  and  the  ford,  for  greater  safety,  rode  to  a  cabin, 
not  far  distant,  to  inquire  if  the  creek  was  fordable. 
He  was  told  that  there  had  been  no  rain  for  many  days 
that  could  raise  the  creek  (there  had  been  heavy  rains 
up  the  country,  with  which,  it  appears,  the  person 
inquired  of  was  not  acquainted).  Putting  a  white 
handkerchief  round  his  hat,  that  we  might  the  better 
distinguish  him,  our  guide  rode  before  us,  desiring  us 
to  keep  close  behind  him,  as  the  descent  into  the 
creek  was  steep  and  difficult.     As  soon  as  we  were  in, 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS.  53 . 

we  found  the  water  so  deep  that  our  horses  began  to 
swim,  and  the  current  was  so  strong  as  to  turn  the 
body  of  our  carriage  down  the  stream.  The  carriage 
was  soon  filled  with  water.  Our  horses,  swimming, 
Kept  up  close  behind  our  guide.  To  our  surprise 
when  we  came  near  the  other  side,  we  found  we  had 
no  hind  wheels.  We  were  obliged  to  leave  the  car- 
riage and  the  fore  wheels  in  the  water,  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  shore.  Fastening  our  wet  baggage 
with  ropes  on  the  horses,  we  proceeded  about  a  mile 
to  our  friend  Jeremiah  Home's,  who  ministered  to  us 
in  our  wet  and  cold  condition.  The  next  morning 
early,  on  going  to  the  creek  to  see  after  our  carriage, 
we  found  that  the  waters  had  fallen  about  sixteen 
inches  during  the  night,  and  we  discovered  the  upper 
part  of  our  hind  wheels  about  six  inches  above  the 
water,  very  near  the  place  where  we  had  first  entered 
the  creek,  so  that  we  must  have  floated  soon  after  we 
got  in.  Had  we  been  left  to  the  current  of  the  river, 
we  could  not  have  escaped  being  drowned,  for  the 
banks  on  both  sides  of  the  creek  are  for  some  distance 
steep  and  bushy.  Through  the  help  of  a  canoe,  we 
recovered  the  wheels." 

Again  in  New  York,  he  applied  himself  diligently  to 
his  mercantile  pursuits.  He  was  simple  in  his  habits, 
and,  walking  in  this  simplicity,  was  kept  from  corroding 
anxiety.  In  1801,  however,  he  again  entered  as  a 
companion  of  John  Hall  on  a  second  journey  of  minis- 
tering, and  travelled  about  four  thousand  miles.  The 
years  1 802-3  he  spent  in  New  York.  At  the  beginning 
of  1 804  he  was  married  to  Rebecca  Collins,  daughter 


64  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

of  Isaac  and  Rachel  Collins,  of  that  city.  The  mar- 
riage proved  singularly  happy.  His  young  wife  was 
in  full  sympathy  with  all  his  religious  views  and  pur- 
poses. 

In  this  year  1804  he  visited  Canada,  and  preached 
in  his  native  language.  The  Roman  Catholic  priests 
moved  the  people  against  him.  This,  however,  excited 
the  curiosity  of  the  Canadians.  He  directed  them  to 
Christ,  and  records  respecting  one  of  his  meetings  in 
a  private  house : 

"  The  Lord  opened  the  hearts  of  many  of  them  so 
as  to  bring  them  into  tenderness ;  several  of  them  gave 
vent  to  their  inward  convictions  by  expression,  and 
now  and  then  cried  out  in  French,  '  C'est  la  vcritd' 
They  were  very  loving  after  meeting,  and  pressed  me 
to  come  again  and  have  meetings  among  them.  They 
now  feared  not  what  their  priests  might  say  or  do." 

Crossing  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  went  to  Montreal, 
and  visited  one  of  the  convents,  and  spoke  freely  to 
the  nuns  and  their  superior.  In  the  city  and  the  region 
round  about  he  preached  the  gospel  to  the  people 
and  priests,  some  of  whom  acknowledged  publicly 
the  truth  of  the  word  he  spoke  to  them.  Thence  he 
went  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  on  the  paths  of  the 
Indians,  availing  himself  of  every  opening  for  advan- 
cing the  work  he  had  at  heart.  Thus  he  again  travelled 
through  the  States,  and  arrived  after  an  absence  of 
three  months  at  New  York. 

In  the  following  year  he  made  another  visit  to  Penn- 
sylvania.    Of  this  journey  he  says: 

"  The    Lord    has   been    pleased,    at   nearly   every 


DIVINE  INTERPOSITIONS  55 

meeting,  to  open  my  way  to  unfold  my  soul's  exercise 
to  the  people.  At  some  of  these  meetings  I  have 
been  enlarged  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  in  a  manner 
very  humbling  and  memorable  to  myself,  and  to  the 
contriting  of  the  hearts  of  many  present.  The  Lord 
has  also  been  near  in  private  religious  opportunities. 
Keeping  a  single  eye  to  the  putting  forth  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  the  way  frequently  opens  for  private  service; 
in  this  the  application,  '  Thou  art  the  man,'  often 
comes  home  much  more  forcibly  than  in  a  public 
meeting,  whether  the  message  be  one  of  reproof, 
instruction,  or  comfort  and  consolation." 

Soon  after  this  the  sad  tidings  fell  on  his  ear  that 
the  yellow  fever  had  broken  out  in  New  York.  He 
thought  of  his  wife  and  says : 

"  This  was  a  remarkable  time  for  me,  for  after  sitting 
awhile  in  the  meeting,  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  following 
some  of  my  near  relatives  to  their  grave,  and  I  saw 
with  clearness  that  it  was  right  for  me  to  return 
homewards  with  all  speed.  It  was  a  trial  to  me,  as 
I  had  had  some  prospect  of  having  a  few  more 
meetings  in  these  parts ;  but  I  felt  that  the  same 
power  that  had  put  me  forth  in  His  service  now 
called  me  back  from  it:  therefore  my  soul  bowed 
before  the  Lord  in  adoration. 

"  I  proceeded  that  afternoon  and  the  following  days, 
with  all  speed  towards  New  York.  On  the  15th  of 
Ninth  Month  I  reached  Railway,  by  noon,  and  there 
heard  that  my  wife's  mother  was  very  ill  with  the 
epidemic.  Thus  confirmed  in  the  correctness  of  the 
impressions  made  upon  me,  I  pursued  my  journey, 
and  after  crossing  the  North  River  that  afternoon,  I 


56  STEPHEN  GRELLET 

met  with  a  person  who  gave  me  the  heavy  tidings  that 
my  mother-in-law  was  deceased,  and  that  the  family 
were  in  Westchester  (twelve  miles  farther),  where  they 
had  retired  when  the  fever  made  its  appearance  in  the 
city,  and  that  my  dear  wife  was  sick.  About  nine  at 
night  I  reached  the  house.  I  found  the  family  in  great 
affliction,  but  supported  under  the  stroke :  and  now 
our  solicitude  was  excited  on  account  of  my  dear  wife, 
for  she  had  a  heavy  load  of  disease  upon  her.  It  is 
remarkable  that  on  the  evening  of  this  my  speedy  re- 
turn to  her,  her  mind  was  so  sensible  of  my  being  near 
that  she  told  her  sister,  who  was  at  her  bedside  that 
she  saw  me  as  if  I  was  in  the  chamber.  Her  sister 
thought  her  flighty,  through  the  fever;  but  she  replied, 
'  It  is  a  reality,  I  see  him  near,'  though  at  that  time 
she  had  every  reason  to  conclude  I  was  about  two 
hundred  miles  distant." 

Before  proceeding  to  the  wider  labors  of  Mr.  Grellet, 
let  a  sentence  quoted  on  the  last  page  from  his  journal 
be  noted : — "Keeping  a  single  eye  to  the  patting  forth  of 
the  Divine  Spirit."  The  phrase  is  very  suggestive,  and 
reveals  the  secret  of  his  power.  If  we  are  more  care- 
ful as  to  what  is  thought  of  the  messenger  than  of  the 
message  we  bear,  and  are  mainly  concerned  to  win  a 
human  approval,  we  are  altogether  out  of  the  line  of 
the  Spirit's  operation.  0  holy  Father,  teach  as  what 
Thy  Son  meant  by  the  eye  being  single  and  the  whole 
body  fall  of  light.  Let  all  self  desires  be  absorbed  in  a 
supreme  and  all-mastering  loyalty  to  be  sanctified  chan- 
nels for  the  free  actings  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit.  Possess  us, 
and}  holding  oar  hand,  lead  tis  on  from  service  to  service 
in  the  extending  of  Thy  Kingdom  / 


CHAPTER  VI. 

VISIT  TO  HIS  PATERNAL  HOME. 

SEVENTEEN  years  had  elapsed  since  the  young 
De  Grellets  had  fled  as  fugitives  from  France. 
During  this  time  the  wild  reign  of  anarchy  and  spolia- 
tion had  passed  into  the  iron  rule  of  the  militarism  of 
the  first  Napoleon.  There  was  some  prospect,  how- 
ever, that  the  young  French  noble  might  visit  in 
safety  his  fatherland.  The  seventeen  years  had  wrought 
a  great  change  in  his  character.  He  now  was  very 
dignified  and  graceful  in  presence ;  remarkably  urbane, 
tender,  and  courteous  in  manner;  his  nature  was, 
moreover,  one  of  fine  sensibility,  but  this  was  in  com- 
bination with  great  intrepidity  and  cool  judgment. 
Having  emerged  from  Romanism  and  skepticism,  his 
convictions  were  clear  and  strong.  Heavy  afflictions 
had  fallen  upon  him,  and  sorrow  is  the  kind  monitress 
of  nobleness  and  meekness.  He  had  lost  rank,  social 
position,  and  property;  had  known  for  many  years 
the  sadness  of  an  exile,  and  had  mourned  his  separa- 
tion from  his  revered  parents.  His  views  of  the  gospel 
were  moreover  decided.  He  speaks  in  one  place  of 
the  ultra-Calvinism  he  met  with  and  the  perplexities 
of  persons  on  the  doctrines  of  election  and  a  limited 
atonement.     Taught,   however,  by  the   study  of  the 

(57) 


58  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Scriptures,  and  not  by  the  partial  theological  opinions 
of  the  times,  he  found   no  such  difficulties.     Christ 
was  to  him  the  "  Lamb  of  God  "  for  the  world,  and 
the    invitations    of    Divine   Jove   were    in   his    creed 
addressed  freely  and  urgently  to  all  men.     He  saw 
men  bound  in  sin,  estranged  from  the  life  of  God, 
tempted  on  every  hand,  and  exposed   to   a   terrible 
calamity  of  woe.     God  was  to  him  the  tender  and 
loving  Father,  striving  with  men  to  win  them  to  Him- 
self, and  in  patient,  quenchless  love  yearning  for  their 
salvation.     But  his  fitness  and  ability  as  a  preacher  of 
the  Word  came  from  his  habits  of  communion  with 
the  Lord.     In  religious  meetings  he  waited  silently 
upon  the  Spirit  of  God  for  direction  and  command ; 
in  his  chamber,  in  pine  forests,  and  in  the  solitudes  of 
the  prairie,  he  poured  out  unceasing  prayer.    And  yet 
it  was  not  always  prayer  as  it  is  generally  understood. 
It  was  a  state  of  heart  which  was  united  to  God  in 
faith   and    self-surrender.     To    articulate   in   human 
language  the  very  thought  of  God  towards  men  was 
his    one   aim.     He   sought  to  stand   in   the   Divine 
counsel;  to  listen  for  God's  message;   and  by  self- 
prostration  and  lowly  waiting  to  receive  from  heaven 
the  testimony  he  had  to  bear.     No  man  ever  entered 
more  completely  into  the  great  teaching  of  St.  Peter: 
"  If  any  man  speak  let  him  speak  as  the  oracles  of 
God;  if  any  man  minister,  let  him   do  it  as  of  the 
ability  which  God  giveth ;  that  God  in  all  things  may 
be  glorified  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  praise 
and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

The  heart  of  the  son  had  perpetually  gone  forth  to 


VISIT  TO  II IS  PATERNAL  HOME.  59 

his  parents.  His  father  died  in  1803.  A  two  years' 
imprisonment,  and  all  the  anxieties  and  sufferings 
connected  with  the  revolutionary  struggles  in  France, 
had  impaired  his  health.  He  had  concluded  to  retire 
into  Holland,  and  had  made  preparations  for  leaving 
the  city  of  Limoges,  and  France,  when,  as  his  son 
remarks,  "  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  order  that  his 
removal  should  be  far  more  distant,  even  to  that  world 
of  spirits  where  sorrows  for  ever  end.  The  afflictions 
he  endured  were,  through  adorable  mercy,  sanctified 
to  him.  The  last  years  of  his  life,  his  nature  was 
changed ;  mildness  and  kindness  were  his  character- 
istics. Even  whilst  in  prison,  under  the  iron  rule  of 
Robespierre,  he  would  encourage  his  fellow- prisoners 
to  patient  submission  to  the  Lord's  will.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  integrity,  much  beloved  by  his  family 
and  friends." 

His  mother  was,  however,  residing  at  Brives, 
whither  his  brother  Joseph  had  gone  from  New 
York,  and  Stephen  now  followed.  Unhappily  his 
wife's  state  of  health  forbade  her  accompanying  him, 
but  with  her  full  concurrence  he  went  forth,  and  says: 

"  It  was  a  solemn  parting  between  my  beloved  wife 
and  myself;  but  the  Lord  gave  strength,  in  humble 
submission,  to  be  resigned  to  His  will,  and  to  follow 
Him  wherever  He  might  be  pleased  to  send  me. 
Lord,  for  Thy  sake  and  Thy  truth,  my  dear  com- 
panion and  Thy  servant  have  offered  one  another  to 
Thee ;  keep  her  by  Thy  power,  comfort  her  by  Thy 
presence ;  fulfil  the  promise  Thou  hast  made  to  Thy 
servant,  '  My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will 


60  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

give  thee  rest.'  None  can  have  ever  gone  on  the 
Lord's  service  under  a  greater  sense  of  their  poverty, 
weakness,  and  inability  of  themselves  to  do  anything 
to  the  glory  of  God." 

On  board  the  ship  Brunswick,  in  which  he  sailed, 
he  had  many  opportunities  given  to  him  for  what  he 
terms  "maintaining  my  Christian  testimony  and  open- 
ing the  principles  of  truth." 

Released  after  some  delay  from  quarantine,  he  made 
his  way  to  Languedoc.  Quotations  from  the  journal 
he  kept  will  give  glimpses  of  the  work  on  which  he 
entered.  His  remarkable  ministry  was  now  to  be 
more  manifest.  At  St.  Hypolite  he  obtained  a  place 
for  a  meeting,  and  narrates : 

"The  place  was  thought  sufficient  to  contain  the 
people,  being  a  large  room ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the"  town  had  turned  out.  The 
house  being  filled,  a  large  number  stood  in  the  street, 
in  a  quiet,  becoming  manner.  I  had  taken  my  seat 
near  the  window,  to  be  heard  both  in  the  house  and 
in  the  street.  For  some  time  I  sat  under  great  dis- 
tress of  mind,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  the  love  of  God 
through  Christ  flowed  in  my  heart  towards  the  people. 
Abiding  under  it,  I  felt  the  Lord's  power  to  rise  over 
all.  Then  I  thought  I  felt  His  word  of  command  to 
preach  unto  the  multitude  Christ,  with  His  attributes 
and  Divine  offices,  when,  on  hearing  some  bustle 
through  the  crowd  towards  the  door,  Louis  Majolier, 
who  sat  by  me,  whispered  to  me,  '  The  Commissary 
of  Police  is  coming.'  I  so  felt  the  Lord's  power  that 
I  answered  him,   'Fear  not;    only  be   quiet.'     The 


VISIT  TO  HIS  PATERNAL  HOME.  61 

Commissary  then,  drawing  near  to  me,  said,  '  Are  you 
the  person  that  is  going  to  preach  ?  '  I  replied,  '  It 
may  be  so;  please  to  sit  down;'  on  which,  taking  me 
by  the  collar  of  the  coat,  he  said,  '  You  must  follow 
me  to  the  Mayor ; '  when  I  answered,  \  I  may  not  de- 
tain thee  long,  please  to  take  a  seat  a  little  while;'  on 
which  I  began  to  speak  to  the  people,  as  the  Lord 
gave  me.  He  stood  amazed,  keeping  hold  of  me  as 
I  spoke,  till  at  last  he  said,  '  I  go  and  make  my  re- 
port/ and  then  he  retired.  I  continued  preaching  to 
the  people,  who  all  kept  quiet,  not  moved  at  all  by 
what  passed.  Indeed,  on  the  contrary,  when  the  Com- 
missary, on  his  way  to  the  door,  passing  by  some 
soldiers  who  were  in  the  meeting-room,  ordered  them 
to  go  and  take  me,  they  answered,  '  We  cannot  disturb 
a  man  thus  engaged.'  I  continued  about  an  hour  to 
speak  to  the  people,  as  the  Lord  enabled  me ;  for  He 
was  with  us.  His  love  and  power  were  felt  by  many, 
whose  spirits  were  greatly  contrited ;  the  Divine  wit- 
ness reached  their  hearts.  Having  taken  my  seat,  the 
meeting  concluded,  when  I  judged  it  expedient  to  go 
immediately  to  the  Mayor's  office;  several  persons 
accompanied  me.  Not  finding  him  there,  I  was  pro- 
ceeding to  his  house,  when  I  met  the  Commissary, 
who  began  to  threaten  me  with  imprisonment,  and 
with  heavy  fines  upon  those  who  were  at  the  meeting. 
We  went  together  with  him  to  the  Mayor's  house, 
and  waited  a  considerable  time  for  his  return.  In  the 
meanwhile,  many  people  out  of  concern  for  me,  others 
from  curiosity,  were  gathered  about  to  see  the  end  of 
this.     At  last,  when  the  Mayor  returned,  the  Commis- 


62  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

sary  went  to  him  to  make  his  own  representation, 
which  prepossessed  him  against  us,  so  that  when  we 
came  in,  seeing  me  with  my  hat  on,  he  put  on  an  angry 
countenance ;  but,  in  a  mild,  respectful  manner,  I  gave 
him  some  of  my  reasons  for  thus  appearing  covered. 
I  had  hardly  given  my  explanation,  when,  with  a 
placid  countenance,  he  said,  *  I  know  something  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  and  their  manners.'  Then, 
making  me  sit  by  him,  in  presence  of  the  people  now 
collected,  he  inquired  into  the  object  of  my  present 
engagements,  which  led  to  the  unfolding  of  the  reli- 
gious principles  of  our  Society,  and  various  Christian 
testimonies,  after  which,  in  presence  of  all,  he  read 
audibly  the  translation  in  French  of  my  certificates, 
and  heard  my  account  of  the  care  extended  by  our 
Society  tov/nrds  their  ministers  when  thus  going 
abroad  as  ambassadors  for  Christ.  He  said  after  that, 
'  I  am  sorry  you  have  been  disturbed ;  had  I  been 
here,  it  would  not  have  been  so.  If  you  wish  to  have 
any  more  meetings,  I  shall  have  care  taken  that  every 
arrangement  be  made,  and  nobody  shall  disturb  you.» 
I  accepted  his  civility,  and  we  parted ;  his  heart  was 
open  towards  me.  I  left  with  him  several  books,  in 
French,  on  religious  subjects,  which  he  kindly  ac- 
cepted; and  the  next  day,  on  my  way  to  Quissac 
another  town,  a  messenger,  sent  by  his  wife,  overtook 
me,  requesting  that  if  I  could  spare  some  more  of  our 
books  for  some  of  their  friends,  it  would  oblige  her. 
Among  the  books  I  gave,  were  Penn's  '  Rise  and 
Progress  of  Friends,'  his  '  Maxims/  '  No  Cross,  No 


VISIT  TO  HIS  PATERNAL  HOME  61 

Crown/  and  some  tracts  I  had  had  printed  at  Nismes. 
The  name  of  the  Mayor  is  Laperouse." 

At  Quissac  he  preached  at  night,  in  an  orchard,  to 
about  fifteen  hundred  persons,  lanterns  hanging  from 
the  trees,  and  says : 

"  I  have  seldom  known  a  more  solemn  stillness  pre- 
vailing in  a  religious  meeting  than  we  witnessed  there. 
It  was  a  time  of  very  precious  visitation  of  the  Lord 
to  this  people ;  the  gospel  descended  upon  them  as 
the  dew  upon  the  tender  grass." 

Travelling  night  and  day  some  hundreds  of  miles, 
he  at  length  reached  Brives,  and  writes : 

"  The  meeting  with  my  precious  mother  was  an 
affecting  one.  We  had  not  seen  each  other  since  the 
year  1790,  and  many  eventful  circumstances  had 
occurred  during  that  series  of  years.  Her  sufferings, 
and  those  of  my  dear  father,  during  the  Revolution, 
were  great,  more  so  than  I  had  heard  before. 

"  I  am  here  entirely  surrounded  by  Roman  Catholics, 
and  am  a  public  spectacle  among  them.  Every  part 
of  my  dress,  speech,  and  conduct  is  narrowly  con- 
sidered, and  gives  rise  to  various  inquiries.  My 
services  among  these  people  are  of  a  different  character 
from  what  they  have  generally  been  hitherto.  There 
is  no  door  open  as  yet  for  public  meetings  among 
them ;  but  I  have  interesting  and  solemn  seasons  in 
private  circles.  In  almost  every  company  to  which  I 
am  introduced,  their  spirit  of  inquiry  leads  to  the 
unfolding  of  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and  the  nature 
of  pure  religion.  Thus  I  have  to  set  before  them 
how  unsafe  it  is  to  trust  the  salvation  of  a  never-dying 


64  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

soul  to  what  their  priests  can  do  for  them,  to  prayers 
to  their  saints,  etc.,  the  short  and  only  sure  way  being, 
with  sincere  repentance  for  our  sins,  to  come  to  Christ 
Jesus,  the  only  Saviour,  who  has  given  Himself  for  us 
to  save  us  from  sin,  and  not  that  we  should  continue 
to  live  in  sin. 

"  I  have  been  with  several  of  the  priests,  but  how 
dark  and  ignorant  they  are  :  pleading  for  their  various 
superstitions,  gaudy  practices  in  their  masses,  confes- 
sions, worship,  their  indulgences,  pilgrimages,  and 
many  such  doings.  They  bring  forth  tradition  as 
their  authority,  which,  they  say,  has  proceeded  from 
oral  command,  delivered  by  the  apostles  to  the  church, 
and  has  regularly  descended  to  them  through  the 
popes  and  bishops,  etc.,  and  that  their  traditions  super- 
sede the  express  testimonies  of  the  Scriptures,  the 
contents  of  which  most  of  them  are  very  ignorant  of. 
I  directed  them,  on  the  other  hand,  to  Christ,  '  the 
true  Light  that  enlighteneth  every  man  that  cometh 
into  the  world,'  and  to  His  Spirit,  l  a  manifestation  of 
which  is  given  to  every  man,' whose  teaching  is  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  the  Scriptures ;  for  '  holy  men  of 
God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  it ; '  whereas  their 
pretended  traditions  or  Popes'  decrees  are  most  of 
them  contrary  to  the  express  language  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

"  Yet  I  find  amidst  such  a  mist  of  darkness  some 
tender,  spiritually  minded  persons,  who,  I  trust,  are 
near  the  kingdom  of  God.  Our  merciful  High  Priest, 
who  is  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  has 
regard  to  the  integrity  of  their  hearts.     I  have  had 


VISIT  TO  HIS  PA  TERGAL  HOME.  65 

frequent  opportunities  to  open  to  some  of  these  the 
pure  and  undefiled  way  to  life  everlasting.  Their 
hearts  rejoice  at  the  glad  tidings.  Several  of  these 
are  among  the  nuns.  In  one  convent,  their  superior, 
being  a  sensible  woman,  hears  the  truth  with  gladness, 
and  gives  me  opportunities  for  unfolding  the  gospel 
to  the  inmates  of  her  convent.  If  the  priests  encour- 
aged them  in  the  right  way,  by  example  and  precept, 
instead  of  setting  a  stumbling-block  before  them, 
bright  instruments  might  arise  from  among  them.  I 
marvel  indeed  how,  under  their  present  circumstances, 
I  can  have  so  open  a  door  with  them ;  ecclesiastics 
have  endeavored  to  represent  me  to  them  as  a  very 
dangerous  person,  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Romish 
Church,  and  that  out  of  the  Roman  Catholic  and 
Apostolic  Church  there  is  no  salvation.  But  these 
pious  persons  say  that  it  is  the  true  and  everlasting 
gospel  that  I  declare  to  them,  and  their  confidence  in 
their  priests  is  shaken. 

"  This  has  been  the  case  with  my  beloved  mother. 
She  felt  such  concern  on  my  account,  thinking  that, 
according  to  the  representations  of  the  priests,  I  must 
be  finally  lost,  as  a  heretic,  that  she  had  them  to  say 
masses  on  my  behalf,  and  paid  also  money  that  prayers 
might  be  put  up  on  my  account ;  not  satisfied  with 
that,  she  urged  me  to  accompany  her  to  her  confessor, 
a  monk  in  whom  she  placed  great  confidence,  hoping 
he  would  convert  me  to  the  Papists'  faith.  To  satisfy 
her,  I  yielded  to  her  request.  But  great  was  her  dis- 
appointment when  she  saw  that,  instead  of  using  the 
arguments  she  expected  to  convince  me,  he  gave  way 


66  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

to  bitter  invectives  and  reflections,  because  I  would 
not  fight,  refused  to  take  oaths,  etc.  I  brought  for- 
ward clear  Scripture  passages,  as  authority,  from  the 
positive  commands  of  Christ  the  Lord,  whom  we  are 
to  obey  in  all  things,  adducing  also  the  apostles  and 
the  practices  of  the  primitive  believers.  Then  he 
gave  way  to  anger,  so  that  he  could  proceed  no 
further,  and  being  worked  up  into  a  passion,  I  left 
him  in  that  state.  After  we  got  out,  my  beloved 
mother  lifted  up  her  hands  in  astonishment  at  conduct 
so  unbecoming  the  Christian  professor ;  and  from  that 
time  her  mind  has  been  much  more  open  to  receive 
the  truth.  Like  the  noble  Bereans,  she  peruses  and 
searches  diligently  the  Scriptures,  a  copy  of  which  I 
have  given  her,  to  know  if  these  things  are  so. 

"  I  continued  at  and  about  Brives  thus  engaged, 
amidst  many  secret  and  more  public  trials,  till  the  6th 
of  Eleventh  Month.  I  then  went  to  Limoges,  the 
place  of  my  nativity.  My  being  here  revives  many 
past  occurrences,  and  awakens  feelings  of  humble 
gratitude  for  the  mercy  and  power  of  the  blessed 
Saviour  who  so  long  bore  with  me,  and  waited  to  be 
gracious  to  my  then  impenitent  soul.  It  also  brings 
to  view  the  many  sufferings  that  my  beloved  parents 
have  endured,  even  from  persons  who  have  been 
amongst  their  greatest  intimates.  I  felt  nothing  but 
love,  Christian  love,  towards  them,  and  in  this  I  have 
visited  several  of  them ;  one  of  them,  the  Mayor  of 
the  city,  who  had  been  among  the  greatest  persecutors 
of  my  family  during  the  Revolution,  told  me,  in  allu- 
sion to  those  days,  *  We  have  in  your  absence  acted 


VISIT  TO  JUS  PATERNAL  HOME.  C7 

more  like  ferocious  beasts  than  men, — much  less 
Christians.' 

"  On  the  9th,  I  went  to  Bellac,  to  my  beloved  sister 
De  Boise's ;  there,  or  in  the  neighborhood,  I  stayed 
till  the  27th.  I  had  some  interesting  religious  meet- 
ings and  opportunities.  One  of  these  was  with  one 
of  my  old  tutors  in  my  father's  house,  whom  I  visited 
at  the  college  of  Magnac.  He  is  a  priest,  and  the 
head  of  the  college ;  he  was  much  pleased  to  see  his 
former  pupil,  and  manifested  more  liberality  than  it  is 
common  to  find  among  that  class  of  men.  My  dear 
sister  is  one  who  is  less  under  the  shackles  of  super- 
stition than  most.  I  have  great  comfort  in  being 
with  her. 

"  I  returned  to  Limoges  on  the  28th,  where,  my 
dear  Master  opening  a  door  for  preaching  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ,  I  continued  till  the  14th  of  Twelfth 
Month.  I  had  many  public  as  well  as  private  religious 
seasons,  so  that  many  of  the  priests  became  much 
alarmed.  It  being  the  time  when  some  of  their 
renowned  orators  who  had  come  from  a  distance 
preach  every  day,  I  was  made  the  subject  of  discourse, 
in  a  large  church.  Their  church  was  represented  as 
in  the  most  critical  state ;  Buonaparte,  it  was  said, 
had  sent  for  me,  from  the  remote  parts  of  America, 
to  undermine,  and  if  possible,  to  destroy  their  holy 
religion.  Such  representations  excited  the  public 
curiosity  still  more,  and  brought  many  more  to  the 
meetings  I  held.  Others  also  pay  me  private  visits, 
some  from  curiosity  only,  but  others  from  a  disposition 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.     Among  these 


68  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

some  of  the  nuns  that  I  have  visited  have  manifested 
great  tenderness ;  but  it  is  very  hard  for  them  to  be 
emancipated  from  the  fear  of  their  priests.  I  have 
had  several  conferences  with  some  of  the  latter,  but 
very  few  of  them  to  satisfaction,  for  want  of  their 
keeping  in  Christian  temper.  One  of  them,  however, 
must  be  excepted, — the  teacher  of  theology  in  the 
Priests'  Seminary.  I  was  also  with  another  who, 
before  the  Revolution,  was  their  renowned  preacher. 
During  the  Revolution,  before  the  rude,  lawless  mul- 
titude, he  publicly  reviled  and  blasphemed  the  Divine 
character  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  trampled  upon 
the  Christian  religion,  turning  it  into  ridicule,  and  told 
them,  'These  forty  years  have  I  been  deceiving  you 
and  myself/  and  then  gave  way,  with  the  multitude, 
to  acts  of  vileness  and  profanity,  defiling  their  altars, 
and  setting  up  the  goddess  of  reason  (as  they  called 
a  young  woman)  upon  them.  I  did  not  know  then 
who  the  man  was.  There  was  a  company  present  of 
about  forty  persons,  when,  in  a  mild,  becoming  man-, 
ner,  he  inquired  into  my  views  on  the  nature  of  the 
fall  of  man,  and  of  his  restoration  through  Jesus 
Christ,  baptism  and  their  various  sacraments,  the 
Eucharist,  etc. ;  also,  into  the  nature  of  true  gospel 
ministry  and  worship,  what  constitutes  the  true  church 
of  Christ,  etc.  After  I  had  distinctly  answered  him 
on  every  one  of  these  important  subjects,  and  some 
others,  he  told  the  company  present  in  a  solemn, 
impressive  manner,  'You  have  heard  this  day  more 
true  gospel  divinity  than  you  have  ever  done  before,, 
or,  may  be,  ever  shall  again.'     I   find  that  this  man, 


VISIT  TO  HIS  PATERNAL  HOME.  69 

after  having  gone  to  such  a  length  in  infidelity,  saw 
his  errors,  and  the  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
which  he  had  so  zealously  espoused  before.  There- 
fore, though  pressed  by  the  clergy  to  resume  his 
former  duties,  and  even  to  accept  greater  preferment, 
he  declined  ;  he  also  refused  to  deliver,  at  the  Bishop's 
request,  his  manuscripts  of  sermons,  that  they  might 
be  preached  again,  stating  that  they  were  written  when 
his  mind  was  in  darkness,  and  understood  not  the 
great  truths  of  Christianity,  as  he  now  beheld  them. 

"  I  might  write  much  of  the  various  steps  taken  by 
some  of  the  priests,  or  their  agents,  to  try  to  gain  me 
to  their  ways :  sometimes  they  would  make  great 
promises  of  the  Church's  honors  and  preferments, 
which  should  be  bestowed  upon  me,  if  I  would 
embrace  their  opinions ;  then  again,  they  poured  out 
upon  me  their  anathemas,  etc.  I  have  also  frequently 
had  to  encounter  open  Deists,  and  even  Atheists. 

"  I  returned  to  Brives  the  14th  of  the  First  Month, 
1808,  and  continued  thereabouts  till  the  23d,  having 
some  large  meetings.  I  then  went  to  Bordeaux,  by 
the  way  of  Bergerac.  My  way  in  Bordeaux  is  much 
shut  up,  though  I  have  the  comfort  of  being  with  my 
dear  brother  Joseph,  who,  for  the  present,  resides  in 
this  city. 

"  The  almost  uninterrupted  wars  in  which  this  nation 
has  been  involved  for  some  years  past,  together  with 
the  oppressive  system  of  the  conscription,  have  brought 
obvious  desolation  and  distress  over  the  face  of  the 
country.  In  many  places  comparatively  few  men, 
besides  those  in  public  offices,  are  to  be  seen,  except 


70  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

those  maimed  by  the  war,  or  the  aged;  so  that  females 
have  to  perform,  out  of  doors,  a  great  part  of  the 
laborious  work  that  generally  devolves  upon  men. 
My  heart  is  also  often  made  sad  in  beholding  the 
bands  of  young  conscripts,  marching  towards  the  army, 
now  preparing  to  invade  Spain. 

"  Day  and  night  my  mind  is  turned  towards  Buona- 
parte. O  could  I  plead  with  him !  could  I  bring  him 
to  feel  and  see,  as  I  do,  the  horror  and  misery  he  is 
accumulating  upon  man,  and  the  vices  and  immorali- 
ties he  causes  poor  unwary  youth  to  be  involved  in  I 
I  have  made  several  trials  to  procure  passports  to  go 
to  Paris,  but  cannot  obtain  them,  yet  I  have  not  told 
anybody  the  concern  I  feel  for  the  Emperor.  If  this 
is  a  service  that  the  Lord  has  for  me,  He  is  all-powerful 
to  open  a  door  for  it — into  His  hands  I  commit  my- 
self. 

"  I  have  found  here  a  few  pious  Christians.  Among 
others  an  aged  nun,  who  manifests  much  humility  and 
brokenness  of  heart ;  she  is  acquainted  with  inward 
watchfulness  and  prayer;  it  is  her  soul's  delight 
silently  to  wait  upon  the  Lord,  and  to  meditate  on 
His  law.  She  finds,  she  says,  far  more  consolation  in 
this  silent  exercise  before  God,  than  in  any  outward 
performance ;  yet  the  rules  of  her  Order  require  that 
she  should  read  every  day  the  Breviary,  a  long  form 
of  prayers  and  collects  in  Latin,  of  which  she  hardly 
understands  a  word.  She  laments  the  more  her  situa- 
tion as  she  knows  of  none  about  her  who  understand 
the  nature  of  her  soul's  exercise  and  travail ;  she  is 
even  afraid  they  should  know  it.     I  had  a  sweet  op- 


VISIT  TO  HIS  PATER  PAL  HOME.  71 

portunity  with  her ;  the  language  of  encouragement 
flowed  towards  her.  I  have  also  had  several  relieving 
meetings  with  small  select  companies."  * 

The  military  rule  and  repressive  despotism  of  Napo- 
leon were  now  felt  everywhere  in  France.  Of  relig- 
ious liberty  there  was  none.  It  was  a  remarkable 
fact  that  Mr.  Grellet,  at  such  a  time  of  fierce  oppres- 
sion and  wasting,  should  have  had  access  to  Roman 
Catholics  and  Protestants  in  every  place  he  visited. 
In  his  happy  freedom  from  theological  restraints,  we 
have  just  seen  him  remark,  "Amidst  much  darkness 
I  find  some  who  are  near  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
our  merciful  High  Priest  has  regard  to  the  integrity 
of  their  hearts."  Has  not  this  always  been  seen  ? 
"  God  is  on  the  look  out  for  the  right  intent,"  and  this 
man  of  God  was  made  a  messenger  of  direction  to 
these  persons  who  in  that  terrible  time  had  their  faces 
to  the  light.  No  doubt  his  pure  French,  polished 
manners,  and  impressive  presence   carried  influence, 

*  Six  years  after  these  events  he  was  again  in  Brives,  and 
remarks: — "I  am  much  comforted  in  being  permitted  to  be 
again  with  my  beloved  aged  mother,  who,  since  I  was  here, 
has,  under  the  teachings  of  the  grace  of  God,  made  further 
advances  in  vital  Christianity;  the  scales  of  superstition  that 
were  once  upon  her  eyes  have  now  fallen  off;  her  hope  and 
confidence  are  no  longer  in  the  priests,  or  the  Pope,  but  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  alone ;  her  delight  is  to  read  the  Scriptures, 
a  copy  of  which  (in  French)  I  left  with  her  on  my  previous 
visit.  Among  the  pious  persons  I  visited  soon  after  my  coming 
here,  were  the  nuns  of  the  hospital,  with  whom  I  had  such 
precious  seasons  of  the  Lord's  favor  six  years  ago.  Their 
aged  and  venerable  Superior  continued  in  the  greenness  of 
the  Divine  life,  manifesting  Christian  meekness  and  humility." 
Many  of  the  sisters  continued  to  read  the  Scriptures  left  with 
them,  and  were  now  truly  pious  persons. 


72  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

but  the  sway  he  exerted,  on  this  his  first  visit  to  Eu- 
rope, was  mainly  owing  to  his  godly  sincerity,  and  to 
that  self-abnegation  which  opens  a  channel  for  th* 
outflowing  to  men  of  Divine  love. 

His  way  for  remaining  longer  in  France  not  being 
further  open,  and  his  purpose  of  visiting  his  own 
family  having  been  accomplished,  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  to  Mrs.  Grellet. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  let  a  word  of  encourage- 
ment be  given  to  Christian  hearts  whose  absorbing 
solicitude  is  the  conversion  unto  Christ  of  those  re- 
lated to  them  by  family  ties.  Stephen  Grellet  learnt 
that  his  father  had  laid  aside  the  pride  of  rank,  and 
the  bitterness  awakened  by  popular  tryanny,  and  had 
come  with  a  childlike  teachableness  to  the  Scriptures 
of  truth.  He  saw  his  mother  no  longer  influenced  by 
her  strong  prejudices  against  Protestantism,  but,  during 
the  latter  years  of  her  life,  finding  in  the  Saviour  a 
perfect  rest,  and  beautiful  saintliness.  He  rejoiced  over 
his  brothers,  and  other  members  of  the  family,  who, 
with  candid  simplicity,  received  the  testimony  he  bore 
to  them.  While,  however,  we  note  how  his  prayer 
for  them  "  availed  much,"  do  we  not  learn  that  the 
prayer  which  prevails  is  that  of  the  righteous  man, 
who  with  the  tenderest  and  most  yearning  love  lays 
the  suit  for  dear  ones  on  the  heart  of  Infinite  Grace  ? 
Pleasant  moreover  to  all  of  us,  as  we  turn  our  thoughts 
to  availing  intercession,  to  strengthen  ourselves  by 
the  assurance  of  inspiration,  "  We  have  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father j  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"INSTANT  IN  SEASON,  OUT  OF  SEASON" 

ALTHOUGH  it  is  quite  customary  for  the  Society 
of  Friends  to  defray  the  expenses  of  their 
members  who  travel  in  the  service  of  the  gospel,  and 
although  Stephen  Grellet  might  have  availed  himself 
of  this  willing  aid,  with  characteristic  disinterestedness 
he  declined  to  do  so. 

"The  Lord  has  so  blessed  me,"  was  the  grateful 
record  of  this  devoted  servant,  "  that  to  His  praise  be 
it  acknowledged,  I  have  gone  on  my  own  charges 
throughout  all  the  extensive  religious  journeys  I  have 
to  this  time  taken ;  though  some  of  these  have  been 
expensive;  my  journey  through  France,  and  crossing 
the  sea,  especially  so ;  and  on  this  continent  I  have 
lost  three  horses.  But  I  have  only  thus  returned  to 
my  blessed  Master,  in  His  service,  what  He  has 
bountifully  bestowed  upon  me.  My  friends  in  New 
York  would  have  paid  my  passage  across  the  sea,  but 
I  could  not  consent  to  it." 

Marvellous  is  the  record  of  his  labors  from  this 
time  in  every  direction.  We  find  him  resisting  a 
rationalistic  movement  commenced  by  a  Quaker  of 
the  name  of  Elias  Hicks,  which  had,  twenty  years 
afterwards,  a  fatal  development  among  many  in  false 

(73) 


74  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

doctrine,  coldness  of  religious  life,  worldliness  of 
habit,  and  a  quenching  of  the  zeal  and  philanthrophy 
which  had  hitherto  distinguished  the  Friends.  Stephen 
Grellet  withstood,  as  he  was  able,  the  beginnings  of 
the  defection.  At -a  Yearly  Meeting  in  New  York,  in 
May,  1808,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  expose  the  subtle 
fallacies  of  an  acute  but  shallow  school  of  thinkers, 
to  forewarn  of  the  results  that  would  follow  a  devia- 
tion from  the  distinctive  teaching  of  Scripture  as  to 
the  eternal  glory  of  the  Redeemer,  and  to  vindicate 
the  doctrinal  soundness  of  the  Protestant  Confessions 
which  had  hitherto  been  maintained  by  the  Society. 
For  a  comparatively  young  man  this  was  a  bold 
course  to  take,  but  the  wisdom  of  it  was  subsequently 
justified.  Of  himself,  however,  he  says:  "Lie  low, 
O  my  soul !  abide  in  humility  and  meekness  before 
the  Lord  thy  Redeemer,  whom  thou  hast  so  fre- 
quently known  to  be  thy  Strength  in  weakness,  thy 
Leader  and  Deliverer." 

After  this  he  made  a  tour  through  the  Southern 
and  Western  American  States.  Passing  through 
Baltimore  he  came  "under  great  exercise  "  because  of 
the  oppression  in  which  the  poor  slaves  were  kept. 
At  Georgetown  the  Presbyterian  church  was  opened 
to  him ;  at  Washington  the  President's  wife,  Mrs. 
Madison,  and  her  sister  attended  his  services  and  in- 
vited him  to  share  the  hospitality  of  the  White  House. 
A  striking  incident  is  mentioned  by  him  in  his  memo- 
randa of  this  journey. 

"  A  physician,  a  tender-spirited  man,  with  much 
feeling  related  to  me  the   following  circumstance.     A 


"INSTANT  IN  SEASON  OUT  OF  SEASON."  75 

few  weeks  ago,  he  was  sent  for  "by  a  planter,  who 
resides  some  miles  hence,  to  visit  one  of  his  slaves. 
On  entering  the  miserable  cabin  in  which  the  sick  man 
was,  the  slave  holder  accompanying  him,  he  saw  the 
poor  slave  stretched  on  a  little  straw.  On  examining 
him,  he  found  him  in  an  apparently  unconscious  and 
state.  The  master,  who  was  not  aware  of  his  low 
condition,  began  in  very  abusive  language  to  upbraid 
and  threaten  him,  using  very  coarse  epithets  ;  he  said 
•  By  pretending  to  be  religious,  and  going  to  your 
meetings,  you  have  got  this  sickness  ;  but,  as  soon  as 
you  are  better,  I  will  cure  you  with  a  thousand  lashes.' 
The  physician  told  him  that  from  all  appearances,  the 
poor  man  had  but  a  few  moments  to  live  : — upon  which, 
the  slave  suddenly  raised  himself,  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and,  stretching  forth  his  hands,  said  in  an  audible  voice, 
'I  thank  Thee,  Lord  Jesus,  my  blessed  Redeemer, 
for  all  Thy  mercies  to  Thy  poor  servant ;  now  receive 
my  spirit  into  Thy  kingdom  ; '  and  then  expired.  The 
scene  was  awful ;  the  slave-holder  stood  speechless 
and  amazed ;  amidst  his  threats  and  reproaches,  his 
poor  slave  was  taken  out  of  his  power ;  he  could 
oppress  him  no  longer,  his  spirit  had  triumphantly 
quitted  its  afflicted  tenement.  The  slave-holder  and  the 
physician  both  remained  silent  about  ten  minutes,  and 
without  uttering  a  word  the  latter  mounted  his  horse 
and  left  the  place,  with  impressions  that  continued 
deep  upon  him,  as  he  related  the  circumstance  to  me." 
In  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  Petersburg  and  other 
places,  he  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  slaves,  as  it  was 
"often   given   him  to  do  in  these  Southern  States." 


76  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Thence  he  passed  through  North  Carolina  and  many 
parts  of  the  South,  unfolding  everywhere  the  truth 
of  man's  fallen  and  sinful  condition,  and  of  salvation 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord.  This  was, 
we  are  told,  ever  his  message — "  What  Christ  has  done 
for  us,  and  without  our  aid ;  how  His  meritorious  death 
and  most  holy  and  acceptable  offering  of  Himself  for 
our  sins  are  the  way  of  our  reconciliation  with  God; 
what  the  eternal  Spirit  of  grace  does  within  us  ;  how 
through  obedience  of  faith  we  may  be  renewed  in  new- 
ness of  life,  and  finally  obtain  entrance  into  the  glorious 
kingdom  of  everlasting  blessedness,  where  Satan  the 
grand  deceiver  and  adversary  has  no  more  place,  and 
the  purified  spirits  can  never  fall." 

With  such  a  message,  adapted  to  the  varied  circum- 
stances of  his  hearers,  he  held  meetings  in  Methodist 
churches,  court  houses,  and  rooms  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  Mayors,  and  the  chief  inhabitants  of  towns 
attended  and  the  slaves  who  went  to  hear  came  away 
exclaiming,  "This  is  the  everlasting  gospel  that  we 
have  heard." 

At  Lynchburg,  while  he  was  preaching  in  the  court 
house,  and  denouncing  the  abominable  traffic  in  human 
flesh,  three  men  entered  and  sat  down  before  him. 
They  were  travelling  through  the  country  for  this 
very  traffic,  and  came  into  the  meeting  with  the  hope 
of  finding  slaves  whom  they  might  purchase.  God 
applied  the  message  so  to  their  hearts,  and  they  saw 
in  such  dark  colors  the  wickedness  of  their  trade,  that 
they  burst  out  weeping  before  the  peopl~ 

Thus  we  preached  throughout  Kentucky  and  Ohio, 


"INSTANT  IN  SEASON-,  OUT  OF  SEASON."  77 

riding  on  horseback  and  over  bad  roads,  often  mere 
"  Indian  paths,"  from  one  settlement  to  another. 
Fatigue,  and  exposure  to  heat  and  changes  of  the  at- 
mosphere, so  told  upon  him  that  we  find  him  fainting 
at  the  close  of  a  meeting.  For  a  short  time,  through 
pressure  of  disease,  his  religious  engagements  were 
suspended.  His  strength  renewed,  he  took  up  again 
his  testimony,  day  by  day,  and  after  a  journey  of  eight 
months'  continuance,  returned  to  New  York.  There 
he  again  united  with  his  family  in  offering  gratitude 
and  praise,  and  surrendering  themselves  afresh  to 
"  serve  their  blessed  Lord  and  holy  Redeemer." 

On  account  of  the  health  of  Mrs.  Grellet,  a  home 
had  been  secured  away  from  the  city,  in  the  village  of 
Greenwich,  At  this  place  lived  the  notorious  Thomas 
Paine,  whose  infidel  works,  especially  the  "  Age  of 
Reason,"  which  affirmed  that  the  Bible  taught  nothing 
but  "  lies,  obscenity,  cruelty  and  injustice,"  had  had  a 
most  baleful  effect  in  America  and  Great  Britain  in 
the  early  part  of  this  century.  An  authentic  account 
of  the  last  days  of  such  a  man  may  have  some  histori- 
cal interest.    Stephen  Grellet  thus  notices  his  decease. 

"  I  may  not  omit  recording  here  the  death  of 
Thomas  Paine.  A  few  days  previous  to  my  leaving 
home  on  my  last  religious  visit,  on  hearing  that  he 
was  ill,  and  in  a  very  destitute  condition,  I  went  to 
see  him,  and  found  him  in  a  wretched  state ;  for  he' 
had  been  so  neglected,  and  forsaken  by  his  pretended 
friends,  that  the  common  attentions  to  a  sick  man  had 
been  withheld  from  him.  The  skin  of  his  body  was 
in  some  places  worn  off,  which  greatly  increased  his 


78  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

sufferings.  A  nurse  was  provided  for  him,  and  some 
needful  comforts  were  supplied.  He  was  mostly  in  a 
state  of  stupor,  but  something  that  had  passed  between 
us  had  made  such  an  impression  upon  him,  that  some 
days  after  my  departure  he  sent  for  me,  and,  on  being 
told  that  I  was  gone  from  home,  he  sent  for  another 
Friend.  This  induced  a  valuable  young  Friend  (Mary 
Rascoe),  who  had  resided  in  my  family,  and  continued 
at  Greenwich  during  part  of  my  absence,  frequently 
to  go  and  take  him  some  little  refreshment  suitable 
for  an  invalid,  furnished  by  a  neighbor.  Once  when 
she  was  there,  three  of  his  deistical  associates  came 
to  the  door,  and  in  a  loud,  unfeeling  manner  said, 
1  Tom  Paine,  it  is  said  you  are  turning  Christian,  but 
we  hope  you  will  die  as  you  have  lived ; '  and  then 
went  away.  On  which,  turning  to  Mary  Rascoe,  he 
said,  '  You  see  what  miserable  comforters  they  are.' 

"  Once  he  asked  her  if  she  had  ever  read  any  of 
his  writings,  and  on  being  told  that  she  had  read  but 
very  little  of  them,  he  inquired  what  she  thought  of 
them,  adding,  '  from  such  a  one  as  you  I  expect  a  cor- 
rect answer.'  She  told  him  that  when  very  young  his 
'Age  of  Reason'  was  put  into  her  hands,  but  that  the 
more  she  read  in  it,  the  more  dark  and  distressed  she 
felt,  and  she  threw  the  book  into  the  fire.  ■  I  wish  all 
had  done  as  you,'  he  replied :  -  for  if  the  Devil  has 
ever  had  any  agency  in  any  work,  he  has  had  it  in 
my  writing  that  book.'  When  going  to  carry  him 
some  refreshment,  she  repeatedly  heard  him  uttering 
the  language,  '  O  Lord  !  Lord  God ! '  or,  '  Lord  Jesus ! 
have  mercy  upon  me  ! ' 


"INSTANT  IN  SEASON  OUT  OF  SEASON"  79 

"  It  is  well  known  that  during  some  weeks  of  his 
illness,  when  a  little  free  from  bodily  pain,  he  wrote  a 
great  deal ;  this  his  nurse  told  me ;  and  Mary  Rascoe 
repeatedly  saw  him  writing.  If  his  companions  in 
infidelity  had  found  anything  to  support  the  idea  that 
on  his  death-bed  he  continued  to  espouse  their  cause, 
would  they  not  eagerly  have  published  it  ?  But  not 
a  word  is  said :  there  is  a  total  secrecy  as  to  what  has 
become  of  these  writings." 

There  is  ground  for  believing  that  Paine's  infidel 
associates  came  into  possession  of  these  papers,  and 
finding  that  they  contained  a  retractation  of  his  former 
opinions,  destroyed  them.  All  we  would  say  is, — 
Happy  are  the  writers  who, 

"  Dying,  leave  no  line  they  wish  to  blot." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN. 

IT  was  in  the  ordering  of  Divine  Providence  that 
Stephen  Grellet,  from  the  autumn  of  1809  to  the 
summer  of  181 1,  remained  in  New  York  engaged  in 
business,  and  confining  his  religious  labors  chiefly 
to  the  city.  It  was  the  will  of  God  that  Paul,  on 
his  arrival  in  Europe,  should  first  teach  the  women 
gathered  for  prayer  by  the  river  side  in  Philippi,  and 
afterwards  make  tents  at  Corinth.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  apostle  in  business  and  ministry,  Mr. 
Grellet's  thoughts  once  more  turned  to  the  interests 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  to  the  cause  of  God  in 
Europe.  The  inward  conviction  arose  that  he  might 
first  be  able  to  enter  upon  a  mission  of  encouragement 
and  testimony  in  the  British  Isles.  It  was  a  time  of 
wars,  dear  food,  sore  privation,  and  universal  distress. 
He  therefore  sailed  to  Liverpool,  and  continued  in  this 
country  about  two  years.  The  whole  period  was  a 
perpetual  ministry  in  public  and  private.  While  it 
was  chiefly  in  the  meeting-houses  of  Friends  and  in 
attendance  on  their  periodic  assemblies  that  he  min- 
istered, his  labors  were  not  confined  to  any  restricted 
circle.  In  those  years  of  heavy  trouble  and  alarm  he 
spoke   in    other    Christian    churches,    and    did   this 

(80) 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  81 

throughout  England,  Scotland,  Ireland  and  Wales. 
In  every  place  his  visit  brought  comfort,  stimulus  and 
revival.  His  words  were  clothed  with  remarkable 
power.  Never  did  a  man  more  abide  in  union  with 
God,  and  the  Divine  Spirit  attended  him  everywhere. 
He  urged  in  Great  Britain  the  practical  duties  of 
Christianity;  unfolded  the  nature  of  pure  and  undefiled 
religion;  insisted  on  the  duty  of  benevolence  and  self- 
sacrifice  on  behalf  of  sufferers,  and  the  oppressed; 
pressed  upon  Christians  that  they  should  seek  to  have 
fulfilled  in  them  the  Divine  promise — "  they  shall  be 
all  taught  of  God,"  and  exhorted  to  the  searching  of 
the  Scriptures  which  testify  of  Christ. 

It  is  not  easy  to  estimate  the  value  of  such  a  mission 
by  a  man  so  eminently  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  grace 
and  wisdom.  Revival  preachers  of  these  later  years 
have  sometimes  failed  to  utter  the  whole  mind  of  God. 
They  have  exalted  the  grace  of  the  gospel,  but  have 
not  set  forth  its  holy  requirements.  The  gospel  does 
nothing  satisfactory  for  a  man  if  it  does  not  deliver 
the  heart  from  the  self-direction  of  sin,  and  produce  in 
the  life  a  loving  loyalty  towards  God.  It  was  through 
the  foresight  of  the  Almighty  Father  that  Stephen 
Grellet  gave  a  testimony  throughout  the  British  Isles 
remarkably  suited  to  the  period.  This  great  nation 
was  soon  to  enter  upon  a  new  era  of  national  justice 
and  righteousness.  The  evils  and  hypocrisy  of  the 
Test  and  Corporation  Acts  were  to  be  extinguished ; 
the  disintegrations,  alienations,  and  heartburnings  of 
R  oman  Catholic  restrictions  and  of  Jewish  disabilities 
were  to  be  abolished ;  the  rights  of  the  subject,  and 


82  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

the  recognition  of  the  rising  importance  of  the  great 
commercial  towns  of  the  kingdom,  were  to  be  ac- 
knowledged by  reform  in  Parliament;  the  abominations 
and  selfish  cruelties  of  colonial  slavery,  that  "  sum  of 
all  villanies,"  were  to  be  swept  away ;  intercourse  with 
all  the  nations  of  the  world  was  to  be  opened,  and  the 
tax  put  upon  the  bread-corn  of  the  people,  as  it 
entered  our  ports,  was  to  be  repealed  by  the  intro- 
duction of  Free  Trade ;  and,  with  all,  education  was 
to  arrest  ignorance,  to  roll  back  a  threatening  tide  of 
barbarism,  and  to  prepare  the  nation  for  its  future 
destiny.  Above  all  others  the  members  of  the  intel- 
ligent Society  of  Friends  have  contributed  to  the 
accomplishment  of  these  magnificent  achievements. 
Their  adhesion  to  these  projects  has  been  unflinching, 
and  singularly  unanimous.  Their  attachment  has  been 
always  decided  and  steadfast.  They  have  brought  to 
the  carrying  of  these  great  ameliorating  measures  a 
weight  of  character,  an  integrity  of  purpose,  and  a  self- 
sacrifice,  which  it  is  impossible  adequately  to  estimate. 
Without  heat  or  noise,  their  influence  has  been  power- 
fully pervasive  in  the  struggles  and  conflicts  which 
have  secured  blessings  of  such  vast  import  to  this  land, 
and  to  every  land  under  the  sun. 

Is  it  too  much  to  suppose  that  the  ministry  of 
Stephen  Grellet  in  almost  every  county  of  the  kingdom 
prepared  the  sons  in  Quaker  families  for  that  firm  and 
persistent  action  put  forth  in  the  years  which  followed 
his  visit  ?  The  action  was  more  than  political.  An 
irreligious  politician  is  often  found  unreliable.  The 
Society  of  Friends  regarded  the  cause  of  popular  edu- 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  83 

cation  in  England  as  philanthropic  and  religious. 
Their  devotion  to  this  national  question  was  the  earliest, 
and  has  never  wavered  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
To  them  belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  petition 
for  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade,  and  afterwards  for 
that  of  slavery  itself.  Their  sacrifices,  devotion,  and 
most  pronounced  hostility  to  colonial  slavery  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  final  victory.  Their  unswerving 
advocacy  of  the  most  complete  rights  of  conscience, 
and  of  political  justice,  was  not  merely  sustained  by 
their  high  probity  and  weight  of  character,  but,  as  in 
the  case  of  their  philanthropic  labors,  was  always 
based  upon  religious  principle.  It  may  justly  be 
thought  that  Mr.  Grellet's  powerful  and  most  Christian 
addresses  and  influence,  in  the  periodic  meetings  and 
private  circles  of  the  Friends,  signally  conduced  to 
these  great  results. 

The  bare  enumeration  of  the  places  at  which  he 
held  meetings  would  occupy  much  space.  In  the 
eastern,  northern,  and  western  counties ;  in  large  cities 
like  Liverpool,  Hull,  Birmingham,  Leeds,  Bradford, 
and  Newcastle ;  in  Edinburgh,  and  the  towns  of  Scot- 
land ;  in  Dublin  and  the  counties  of  Ireland ;  and  in 
different  parts  of  the  Principality  of  Wales,  he  was 
welcomed  and  listened  to  as  a  minister  of  God.  In 
Newcastle,  under  the  impulse  of  a  M  great  concern  " 
that  came  upon  him,  he  held  meetings  for  the  colliers 
and  those  employed  in  furnaces  and  glasshouses. 
"  Divine  love  was  in  an  extraordinary  manner  expe- 
rienced over  these  assemblies."  In  Birmingham  the 
large  Independent  meeting-house  was  opened  to  him : 


84  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

"  the  concourse  of  people  was  very  great."  The  house 
was  crowded,  and  many  remained  out  of  doors.  "  A 
Divine  solemnity  was  spread  over  the  multitude.  The 
Spirit  gave  strength  and  qualification  to  proclaim 
what  the  Christian  religion  is."  At  Northampton  the 
Friends'  meeting-house  was  filled  half  an  hour  before 
the  service  began ;  not  one-fifth  of  the  people  assem- 
bled could  obtain  admittance.  The  meeting-house  in 
which  Dr.  Philip  Doddridge  once  ministered  was 
immediately  opened  to  the  crowd.  In  Scotland  the 
Presbyterians  in  a  similar  manner  opened  their 
churches.  In  Bradford,  Yorkshire,  and  the  neighbor- 
hood, day  by  day  he  ministered,  and  then  when  cast 
down  sang, — 

"  In  cares  and  fears  and  doubts, 
Which  oft  assail  my  mind, 
When  they  are  left  to  Thee,  O  Lord, 
The  best  relief  I  find." 

In  Cambridgeshire  he  came  to  Stilton  Barracks, 
wherein  were  confined  about  6000  French  prisoners. 
He  spoke  to  them  in  his,  and  their,  native  language, 
and  they  exclaimed,  "  Our  souls  are  full  of  gratitude 
to  the  Lord,  who  has  put  it  into  your  heart  thus  to 
think  of  us  and  feel  for  us."  French  prisoners  of  war 
were  also  addressed  by  him  in  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom. 

As  Paul's  spirit  was  stirred  in  him  when  he  found 
himself  amid  the  idolatry  of  Athens,  so  was  Stephen 
Grellet's  in  London.  The  emotions  awakened  pre- 
pared him  for  his  great  mission  in  the  British  capital. 
He  records : 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN  85 

"  I  soon  felt  the  heavy  gospel  bonds  awaiting  me 
in  this  metropolis  to  be  rapidly  fastening  upon  me. 
The  depth  of  exercise  into  which  I  was  introduced  on 
account  of  the  various  classes  of  its  inhabitants  is 
indescribable.  Rich  and  poor,  but  especially  the  last, 
including  not  only  those  in  the  city  at  large  and  in 
the  various  poorhouses,  but  also  the  inmates  of  prisons 
and  places  where  many  are  confined  because  of  their 
various  crimes,  rested  heavily  upon  me.  Many  sleep- 
less nights  I  passed,  as  the  objects  of  these  exercises 
and  baptisms  were  developed  to  my  view,  and  it  was 
given  me  clearly  to  see  that  I  must  stand  prepared  to 
engage  in  whatever  line  of  service  my  great  Lord  and 
Master  was  pleased  to  require  of  me.  For  such  a 
purpose,  I  felt,  he  had  raised  me  up  from  a  most  abject 
state,  and  had  now  sent  me  here.  The  awful  conse- 
quences that  would  attend  me  should  I  be  unfaithful, 
and  attempt,  like  Jonah,  to  flee  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  were  in  an  appalling  manner  set  before  me. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  gracious  promise  was  renewed, 
that  if,  in  simplicity  of  heart,  I  resigned  myself  to  the 
Lord's  guidance  and  requirings,  without  consulting 
with  flesh  and  blood,  He  would  be  with  me,  would 
make  way  for  me  and  uphold  me.  Thus  I  was  enabled 
again  to  offer  myself  and  my  all  to  the  Lord  and  His 
service,  not  in  this  great  city  only,  but  also  to  go  on 
the  European  continent,  or  wheresoever  He  might 
call  me  or  His  Spirit  might  lead  me.  Great  peace  and 
quietness  I  felt  after  this  full  offering  was  made ;  yet 
the  weight  of  my  chain  was  not  thereby  lessened,  or 
the  cup  I  was  to  drink  rendered  less  bitter ;   neither 


86  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

was  my  concern  for  the  members  of  our  own  Society 
decreased  by  what  I  felt  for  the  people  at  large." 

His  field  of  labor  in  London  was  in  every  circle. 
He  was  found  urging  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
Quakers  to  lead  lives  of  sympathy  with  Christ  and 
men;  he  attended  meetings  of  the  nobility  which  were 
specially  called  for  his  engagements ;  he  met  Jews  in 
Devonshire  House,  Houndsditch ;  the  thieves,  pick- 
pockets and  abandoned  women  were  gathered  into 
the  Friends'  meeting-house  in  St.  Martin's  Lane,  and 
of  these  he  says  : 

"  My  mind  was  at  first  brought  under  great  dejec- 
tion and  distress  on  beholding  before  me  so  many 
fellow-beings,  of  both  sexes,  in  whose  countenances 
so  much  vice  and  depravity  were  depicted,  some  of 
whom,  perhaps,  had  never  been  in  a  meeting  for  wor- 
ship, and  were  strangers  to  religious  sensibility.  They 
were  mostly  young  people.  I  wept  bitterly  over  them ; 
but  the  love  of  Christ,  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost,  filled  my  soul  and  prepared  me, 
not  only  to  proclaim  against  sin  and  the  consequences 
of  living  and  dying  in  sin,  but  also  to  preach  Christ 
the  Saviour  of  sinners.  Oh,  it  was  a  solemn  time 
indeed;  the  Lord's  power  was  over  us;  the  lofty  heads, 
the  proud  looks  were  brought  down.  I  have  seldom 
known  such  brokenness,  and  so  general,  as  it  was  that 
evening.  The  meeting  remained  in  the  same  state 
during  the  silence  after  I  had  sat  down,  a  silence  only 
interrupted  by  the  sobbings  or  deep  sighs  of  some  of 
them.  At  the  conclusion,  the  people  retired  in  the 
same    quietness.     Oh,  what  a  display  of  the  Lord's 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  87 

power  and  mercy !  Surely  our  hearts  can  but  over- 
flow with  gratitude  to  Him,  our  blessed  and  sure 
Helper." 

Ah!  this  preparation  of  the  preacher — the  "soul 
greatly  moved  ;  "  the  "  weeping  bitterly  over  "  these 
degraded  ones — this  was  the  fruit  of  his  oneness  with 
the  Lord  in  sympathy  and  love,  and  helps  us  to 
understand  the  brokenness  of  heart  of  these  outcasts. 

To  set  forth  more  fully  this  ministry  of  mercy,  an 
extract  from  the  Journal  must  be  given. 

"The  chief  police  magistrate  in  London,  hearing 
of  that  meeting  through  some  of  our  Friends,  sent 
me  word  that  if  I  wished  to  see  that  class  of  people 
more  generally  throughout  the  city,  he  would  take 
measures  to  have  them  all  collected,  when  opportunity 
would  be  given  me  to  have  meetings  with  them.  I 
acknowledged  his  kind  offer,  but  could  not  accept  it, 
though  I  told  him  I  should  be  obliged  by  his  giving 
me  free  access  to  the  several  prisons  in  London,  having 
felt  much  drawn  towards  that  class  of  poor,  wretched 
humanity.  My  request  was  readily  granted,  and  I 
engaged  very  soon  in  the  trying  service. 

"  The  Compters  [since  abolished]  were  the  prisons 
I  visited  first;  there  is  one  in  each  district  of  the 
metropolis.  They  are  places  to  which  the  offenders, 
when  taken  up  day  by  day,  are  committed,  and  from 
which  they  are  transferred  to  other  prisons  according 
to  the  nature  of  their  offences.  When  in  the  morning 
I  visited  these  prisons,  I  was  astonished  at  the  number 
I  found,  who  had  been  taken  up  during  the  preceding 


88  STEPHEN  GRELLE7. 

night.     I  had  some  very  striking  religious  opportun- 
ities with  them. 

After  that,  I  proceeded  with  a  visit  to  Newgate, 
which  occupied  some  days,  having  religious  services 
in  the  many  separate  apartments,  where  the  miserable 
inmates  are  confined.  Several  were  under  sentence 
of  death.  In  one  cell  there  were  four  together  who 
were  to  be  executed  the  ensuing  morning;  one  of 
these  particularly  drew  forth  our  tender  feelings — my 
dear  friend,  William-  Forster,  being  with  me.  His 
wife,  with  two  children,  came  to  see  him  for  the  last 
time  when  we  were  there.  One  of  the  children  was  a 
boy,  about  eight  years  of  age.  The  awfulness  of  the 
sight  of  his  father  under  heavy  irons,  with  the  other 
prisoners,  his  emotion  from  knowing  that  his  father 
was  to  be  brought  to  the  gallows  the  next  day,  together 
with  the  gloominess  of  the  prison,  brought  the  child 
into  a  state  of  great  terror  and  distress.  P.  Bedford 
knew  the  grandparents  of  this  child,  poor  weavers, 
but  people  of  piety.  We  felt  it  our  place  to  visit 
them  the  day  after  the  execution  of  their  son.  We 
were  much  instructed  in  beholding  that,  in  their  very 
deep  grief,  they  were  sustained  by  the  comforts  of  the 
Christian  religion.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  their  refuge 
and  strength  under  their  great  and  sore  trouble.  They 
produced  a  letter  written  by  the  poor  prodigal  the 
night  previous  to.  his  execution,  addressed  to  his  wife 
and  to  his  parents.  After  describing  his  heartfelt 
repentance  for  his  crime,  and  the  hope  that,  notwith- 
standing his  great  unworthiness,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  had  mercy  on  the  penitent  thief  on   the  cross, 


FIRST  VI 3 IT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  89 

would  condescend  to  be  merciful  to  him,  he  most 
earnestly  begged  his  aged  parents  to  forgive  him  also. 
He  described  his  evil  life  as  being  the  consequence  of 
his  disobedience  to  them,  and  particularly  in  having 
disregarded  the  due  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  so 
contrary  to  their  parental  entreaties.  Having  begun 
to  do  so  in  the  afternoon,  it  had  led  him  into  evil 
company,  and  step  by  step  he  had  become  the  com- 
panion of  thieves.  He  most  earnestly  entreated  his 
wife  to  guard  very  particularly  the  children  from  such 
dangerous  and  ungodly  practices,  and  to  spend  the 
afternoons  and  evenings  of  the  Sabbath  in  attending 
religious  meetings,  and  reading  the  Bible  and  books 
of  devotion.  We  found  in  the  boy  above  mentioned 
so  much  sensibility  that  our  interest  in  him  became 
excited,  some  kind  friends  assisting  in  having  him 
sent  to  school. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  visit  through  Newgate  we 
found  many  boys  who,  decoyed  into  vice  by  thieves 
and  pickpockets,  and  now  mixing  in  prison  with  older 
and  depraved  men,  were  likely  to  come  out  thence  far 
greater  adepts  in  crime.  We  felt  much  for  those  poor 
youths,  and  seeing  the  necessity  of  having  them  kept 
separate  from  other  criminals,  we  succeeded  in  inducing 
the  sheriff  and  magistrates  to  have  another  part  of  the 
prison  appropriated  to  them.  P.  Bedford  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  concern,  and  several  of  our  young 
men  Friends  enlisted  in  it,  with  great  advantage. 

"  The  visit  to  that  part  of  Newgate  which  is  occu- 
pied by  th.2  women  prisoners  had  very  nearly  been 
frustrated.    The  jailor  endeavored  to  prevent  my  going 


90  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

there,  representing  them  as  so  unruly  and  desperate 
that  they  would  surely  do  me  some  mischief;  he  had 
endeavored  in  vain  to  reduce  them  to  order,  and  said 
he  could  not  be  responsible  for  what  they  might  do 
to  me,  concluding  that  the  very  least  I  might  expect 
was  to  have  my  clothes  torn  off  I  felt  persuaded  that 
He  who  called  me  to  this  service  could  make  way  for 
me  and  preserve  me.  Very  earnest  was  my  prayer  to 
have  evidence  that  this  was  a  service  that  the  Lord 
required  of  me,  feeling  that  my  having  visited  the  men 
was  not  a  reason  why  I  should  visit  the  women  also. 
The  path  of  duty  being  clear  before  me,  I  proceeded 
to  the  prison.  When  I  came  to  the  small  yard,  the 
only  accommodation  for  about  four  or  five  hundred 
women,  I  found  there  some  who  immediately  recog- 
nized me  as  having  seen  me  in  the  Compters,  and  who 
appeared  much  pleased  at  my  now  coming  here.  They 
told  me  that  no  preparation  had  been  made  to  receive 
me,  but  that  they  would  immediately  do  what  they 
could  towards  it.  Owing  to  the  darkness  of  the  morn- 
ing the  prisoners  had  been  unusually  late  in  getting 
up,  and  many  of  them  had  not  yet  risen.  They  occu- 
pied two  long  rooms, 'where  they  slept  in  three  tiers, 
some  on  the  floor,  and  two  tiers  of  hammocks  over 
one  another.  They  had  the  whole  soon  rolled  up, 
and  all  the  women  came  together  in  one  room.  When 
I  first  entered,  the  foulness  of  the  air  was  almost  in- 
supportable, and  everything  that  is  base  and  depraved 
was  so  strongly  depicted  on  the  faces  of  the  women 
who  stood  crowded  before  me,  with  looks  of  effrontery, 
boldness,  and  wantonness   of  expression,  that,  for  a 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  01 

while,  my  soul  was  greatly  dismayed ;  surely  then  did 
I  witness  that  the  Lord  is  a  refuge  and  strength,  His 
truth  is  a  shield  and  a  buckler.  The  more  I  beheld 
the  awful  consequences  of  sin,  and  the  more  deeply  I 
felt  the  greatness  of  the  depravity  into  which  these 
poor  objects  had  been  plunged  by  the  devices  of  Satan, 
the  more  also  I  felt  the  love  of  Christ  who  has  come 
to  save  and  has  died  for  sinners.  As  I  began  to  speak, 
under  the  feeling  sense  of  this  redeeming  love  of  Christ, 
their  countenances  began  to  alter:  soon  they  hung  down 
their  heads ;  their  haughtiness  and  proud  looks  were 
brought  low,  and  tears  in  abundance  were  seen  to  flow; 
great  was  the  brokenness  of  heart  manifested  on  this 
occasion.  I  inquired  of  them  if  there  were  any  other 
female  prisoners  in  the  place,  and  was  told  that  several 
sick  ones  were  upstairs.  On  going  up,  I  was  aston- 
ished beyond  description  at  the  mass  of  woe  and  misery 
I  beheld.  I  found  many  very  sick,  lying  on  the  bare 
floor  or  on  some  old  straw,  having  very  scanty  cover- 
ing over  them,  though  it  was  quite  cold ;  and  there 
were  several  children  born  in  the  prison  among  them, 
almost  naked. 

"  On  leaving  that  abode  of  wretchedness  and  misery, 
I  went  to  Mildred's  Court,  to  my  much  valued  friend, 
Elizabeth  J.  Fry,  to  whom  I  described,  out  of  the  ful- 
ness of  my  heart,  what  I  had  just  beheld,  stating  also 
that  something  must  be  done  immediately  for  those 
poor  suffering  children.  The  appeal,  to  such  a  pious 
and  sensible  mind  as  dear  Elizabeth  possesses,  was 
not  in  vain.  She  immediately  sent  for  several  pieces 
of  flannel,  and  had  speedily  collected  a  number  of  our 


92  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

young  women  Friends,  who  went  to  work  with  such 
diligence,  that  on  the  very  next  day  she  repaired  to 
the  prison  with  a  bundle  of  made-up  garments  for  the 
naked  children.  What  she  then  saw  of  the  wretched- 
ness of  that  prison  induced  her  to  devise  some  plan 
towards  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  these  poor 
women,  and,  if  possible,  the  reform  of  their  morals." 

It  is  very  interesting  to  find  that  Mrs.  Fry  received 
from  this  visit  the  incentive  to  her  efforts  on  behalf  of 
the  female  prisoners  of  Newgate,  and  to  a  service  in 
this  direction  never  surpassed  in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence,  and  almost  unparalleled  in  its 
ameliorating  and  saving  results.  It  is  recorded  that 
for  many  years  this  lady's  first  question,  on  awaking 
in  the  morning,  was,  "  What  shall  I  do  for  my  Lord 
to-day?"  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  few  among 
Friends  have  been  "more  eminent  than  Mrs.  Fry's 
brother,  Joseph  John  Gurney,  and  her  sister  Priscilla 
Gurney,  who  with  her  dying  words  laid  on  the  heart 
of  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton  the  solemn  claim  to  his  life 
devotion  of  the  seven  hundred  thousand  slaves  in 
British  colonies.  The  parents  of  three  such  children 
did  much  by  their  training  to  serve  the  generation 
that  came  after  them.  The  labors  of  Mrs.  Fry  ill 
Newgate,  the  impulse  to  which  she  received  from  Mr. 
Grellet,  are  now  historical.  The  sway  of  her  sympa- 
thetic influence,  aided  by  a  voice  whose  modulations 
carried  the  force  of  every  word  she  uttered,  and  whose 
tender  tones  melted  the  hardest  and  most  stubborn 
hearts,  was  manifested  when  the  Lord  Mayor  after- 
wards conducted  into  that  same  female  ward  the  Kino; 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  GREAT  BRITAIN.  93 

of  Prussia,  and  when  the  monarch  and  the  prisoners 
alike  knelt  in  bowed  reverence,  as  Mrs.  Fry  poured 
forth  her  supplication  and  thanksgiving  unto  God. 
In  her  case,  as  in  that  of  Stephen  Grellet,  we  have  the 
evidence  how  the  Lord  of  love  and  compassion  makes 
His  self- less  servants  to  be  partakers  of  His  own  nature 
in  such  a  way  that  they  can  reveal  His  yearning  pity 
for  lost  sinners,  and  His  willingness  to  deliver  from 
Satan  and  from  sin.  How  weighty  in  warning  and 
encouragement  are  those  words  of  Jehovah  respecting 
the  prophets  of  Israel,  as  they  are  indeed  true  respect- 
ing the  servants  of  Christ  in  all  after  times  :  "  If  they 
had  stood  in  My  counsel,  and  had  caused  My  people  to 
hear  My  words,  then  they  should  have  turned  them  from 
their  evil  way,  and  from  the  evil  of  their  doings!' 

"  The  world's  a  room  of  sickness  where  each  heart 
Knows  its  own  anguish  and  unrest ! 
The  truest  wisdom  then,  and  noblest  art, 

Is  his  who  skills  of  comfort  best ; 
Whom  by  the  softest  step  and  gentlest  tone 

Enfeebled  spirits  own, 
And  love  to  raise  the  languid  eye, 
When  like  an  angel's  wing  they  feel  him  fleeting  by." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE. 

MR.  SEEBOHM  has  justly  said  :  It  is  not  easy 
to  realize  the  condition  of  the  continent  of 
Europe  in  1813.  There  were  neither  railroads  nor 
telegraph  wires;  the  freedom  of  friendly  intercourse 
between  the  different  States  of  Europe  had  long  been 
interrupted ;  superstition  and  infidelity,  vice  and  wicked- 
ness, had  spread  to  an  alarming  extent ;  religion  was 
driven  into  seclusion,  and  with  many  Christianity  had 
become  little  more  than  an  empty  name ;  international 
feuds  and  jealousies  had  rendered  the  system  of  police 
and  passport  regulations  exceedingly  annoying,  and 
painfully  restrictive  to  individual  liberty;  travelling 
was  difficult,  and  often  dangerous.  Though  Napoleon 
had  been  compelled  to  retire  from  Russia,  the  French 
war  was  still  raging  with  unabated,  if  not  with  increased 
fury,  and  great  excitement  prevailed  abroad.  To  go 
forth,  under  such  circumstances,  and  alone,  "as  an 
ambassador  of  peace  to  the  nations,  while  the  sword 
bereaved  on  every  hand,"  was  no  small  trial  of  faith  and 
of  faithfulness.  But  Stephen  Grellet  knew  Him  in  whom 
he  had  believed.  He  had  counted  the  cost,  and  did  not 
flinch  in  the  day  of  trial ;  the  sacrifice  which  he  had 
"  bound  to  the  horns  of  the  altar  "  was  not  withdrawn. 

(94) 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  95 

The  attendance  at  another  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  in  London,  previous  to  entering  upon  such  a 
service,  was  a  matter  of  peculiar  interest  to  him.  He 
had  received  the  full  sanction  of  his  brethren  in  Amer- 
ica to  his  present  undertaking  in  the  service  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ ;  but,  being  now  within  the  compass 
of  another  Yearly  Meeting  in  a  distant  land,  he  sought 
its  unity  and  concurrence  before  he  passed  beyond  its 
limits  to  carry  out  his  gospel  mission  in  some  parts  of 
the  European  continent. 

At  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  ministers  and  elders,  the 
17th  of  May,  18 1 3,  he  informed  the  Friends  that  he 
apprehended  the  time  had  nearly  come  for  him  to  en- 
deavor to  pass  over  into  France,  if  practicable,  to  fulfil 
there,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  continent,  whatever 
service  the  Lord  might  call  for  at  his  hands.  A  great 
solemnity  prevailed  over  the  meeting  during  the  con- 
sideration and  deliberation  on  the  important  subject. 
Many  Friends  expressed  their  tender  sympathy  and 
full  unity,  believing  that  this  was  a  work  to  which  the 
great  Head  of  the  church,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  called 
him  in  the  service  of  His  gospel.  They  gave  him  a 
written  testimonial,  recommending  him  to  the  kind 
and  Christian  sympathy  and  regard  of  all  those  among 
whom  he  might  come. 

God  was  conducting  him  on  wider  services  than 
those  in  which  he  had  engaged.  He  himself  says : 
"  I  now  endeavored  to  find  out  some  way  whereby  I 
might  pass  over  to  France ;  the  weight  of  the  work 
the  Lord  has  laid  upon  me  in  that  land  pressing  heavily. 
Truly,  in  my  measure,  I  can  say,  *  I  have  a  baptism  to 


96  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

be  baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be 
accomplished  ! '  O  Lord  !  enable  Thy  poor  servant  to 
glorify  Thy  excellent  name,  into  whatever  suffering, 
or  even  death,  Thou  mayest  see  meet  that  he  should 
be  introduced. 

"  My  dear  friends  accompanied  me  to  Gosport  on 
board  the  Cartel  Brillant,  bound  for  Morlaix,  with 
forty-one  French  seamen  or  soldiers,  prisoners  of  war, 
discharged  because  of  their  incapacity  for  service  by 
ill  health,  etc.  We  came  over  the  British  Channel  on 
the  1 8th,  but  on  entering  the  river  our  vessel  struck 
violently  on  a  rock ;  the  general  outcry  on  board  was 
that  the  vessel  was  sinking.  I  endeavored  to  have  my 
mind  centered  in  filial  and  reverent  submission  to  the 
Lord's  will,  should  He  order  that  instead  of  the  ser- 
vice I  apprehended  I  was  called  to,  I  should  lay  down 
my  life  in  sight  of  the  land  of  my  nativity.  I  was 
favored  to  feel  His  Divine  presence  near,  and  an  as- 
surance that  His  omnipotence  would  not  permit  the 
loss  of  a  single  life  on  board  by  this  event.  I  felt 
deeply,  however,  for  my  fellow  passengers ;  bitter  was 
the  lamentation  of  many  of  them,  who,  from  their  very 
emaciated  condition,  did  not  appear  to  have  many 
days  to  live :  \  What ! '  they  cried  out,  with  tears  trick- 
ling down  their  furrowed  cheeks,  'after  so  much 
suffering,  so  many  narrow  escapes  in  the  war,  must 
we  now  perish  within  sight  of  beloved  France,  and 
not  be  allowed  quietly  to  go  and  die  there  ? '  By  the 
return  of  the  tide,  however,  the  vessel  got  off  the  rocks, 
and  the  next  day  we  were  favored  to  land  safely  at 
Morlaix.     The  officers  of  police  proceeded  immedi- 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  97 

ately  to  a  very  strict  and  minute  examination  of  every 
part  of  my  baggage  and  clothing,  and  even  of  my  per- 
son ;  the  lining  of  my  garments,  the  inner  sole  of  my 
shoes,  everything  about  me  underwent  a  close  search, 
to  see  that  I  had  no  secreted  papers.  That  being 
finished,  they  inquired  the  object  for  which  I  came  to 
France;  they  perused  the  certificates  given  me  by 
Friends  in  America  and  London,  they  took  notes  of 
the  whole  and  sent  them  to  Paris,  with  my  passsorts, 
and  told  me  I  must  wait  for  an  answer  from  Paris. 
O  Lord !  I  am  in  Thy  hands ;  by  Thy  directions  and 
the  putting  forth  of  Thy  Spirit,  I  have  come  here ;  in 
submission  and  confidence  I  wait  to  see  what  Thou 
wilt  do  for  Thy  great  name ! 

"  I  now  endeavored  to  see  if  my  blessed  Lord  and 
Master  had  not  some  service  for  me  to  accomplish  in 
this  place.  I  became  acquainted  with  an  old  man, 
poor  in  this  world,  but  who  appeared  to  be  no  stranger 
to  vital  religion.  He  cannot  read,  but  he.  evinces 
that  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  God  is  written  in  his 
heart,  and  that  his  delight  is  to  meditate  thereon.  I 
was  soon  also  introduced  to  other  persons,  among 
whom  I  found  spiritual-mindedness.  I  felt  the  more 
grateful  on  meeting  with  these,  and  other  pious  per- 
sons, with  whom  I  had  some  refreshing  and  instructive 
religious  opportunities,  because  it  was  then  the  time 
when  the  Papists  celebrate  what  they  call  'the  Feast 
of  God.'  Thousands  of  persons  had  come  into  the 
town  from  the  country  round,  and,  accompanied  by 
their  priests,  walked  through  the  streets,  carrying  their 
crosses,  and  the  consecrated  wafer,  before  which  they 


98  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

threw  flowers  and  leaves,  and  burned  abundance  of 
incense.  My  soul  was  grieved  at  beholding  such  a 
display  of  ignorance  and  idolatry.  That  evening  a 
considerable  number  of  persons  having  come  to  my 
inn,  the  excitement  of  the  day  prompted  them  to 
ascertain  my  views  respecting  the  display  that  had 
taken  place.  This  opened  the  way  for  unfolding  to 
them  the  great  truths  of  Christianity,  contrasting  them 
with  the  pageantry  they  had  seen  displayed  that  day. 

"  Having  felt  my  mind  drawn  towards  my  fellow- 
passengers  from  England,  who  had  gone  to  the 
hospital  on  their  arrival  here,  I  went  to  visit  them, 
accompanied  by  a  pious  person,  a  friend  of  the 
Superior  of  the  sisters  who  have  the  care  of  the  hos- 
pital. I  found  that  several  of  the  men  had  died  shortly 
after  they  had  landed ;  others  were  very  ill ;  and  some 
appeared  to  manifest  tenderness  of  spirit  and  gratitude 
for  their  escape  from  a  watery  grave.  Several  of  the 
nuns  having  gathered  together,  with  their  Superior, 
gave  me  an  opportunity  for  serious  communications 
on  things  pertaining  to  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  and 
vital  Christianity.  Some  of  their  minds  were  tender. 
I  was  with  them  nearly  two  hours,  unfolding  Christian 
doctrines. 

"  Finding  that  there  were  many  English  prisoners 
in  the  place,  chiefly  taken  from  merchants'  vessels, 
leave  being  given,  they  were  collected  together,  none 
going  in  with  me  but  the  sworn  interpreter  and  his 
son,  to  be  witnesses  on  behalf  of  the  police  of  what  I 
should  say  among  them.  I  found  there  some  piously 
minded  persons ;  the  Lord's  presence  and  power  were 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  99 

near;  affliction,  being  shut  up  in  prison,  heavy  losses 
of  property,  etc.,  had  tended  to  prepare  their  hearts 
to  receive  the  consolations  that  the  religion  of  Christ 
offers  and  gives  to  such  as  believe  in  it  Many  of 
them  expressed  their  gratitude  to  the  Lord  for  this 
visit  of  love  and  consolation  to  them." 

This  passage  is  quoted  as  a  specimen  of  the  journey 
he  made  through  his  native  land.  Everywhere  was 
he  harassed  by  suspicions  and  police  restrictions ;  but 
everywhere  he  found  or  made  opportunities  for  com- 
forting the  sorrowful  and  speaking  of  the  things  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  And  it  will  have  been  seen 
that  no  distinction  of  creed  turned  him  aside  from 
this  ministry  of  mercy.  He  was  no  bigoted  Protestant, 
however  grieved  he  might  be  with  the  superstitions  of 
Romanism.  He  knew  well  that  devout,  aspiring,  and 
even  saintly  persons  might  be  found  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

There  is  something  profoundly  affecting  in  the  spec- 
tacle of  a  lonely  Christian  man  penetrating  France  in 
this  manner  at  such  a  terrible  time  of  bloodshed  and 
desolation.  In  every  place  where  he  tarried  he  found 
some  hidden  disciple  of  Christ  to  encourage,  and 
some  mourners  because  of  war  to  comfort.  He  speaks 
of  meeting  on  his  way  to  Paris  "  companies  of  poor 
youths,  thirty  to  sixty,  fastened  two  and  two  to  a  long 
chain,  and  marched  off  to  the  army.  They  were  such 
as  had  manifested  reluctance  to  go  there."  He  tells 
us  of  Toulouse — "  it  was  but  a  few  days  since,  that, 
after  a  battle  between  the  English  and  French  armies, 
such  a  number  of  wounded  soldiers  were  brought  in, 


100  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

that  the  streets  were  strewed  with  them,  till  places  to 
remove  them  to  were  prepared;  and  so  numerous 
were  the  amputations  that,  in  several  parts  of  the  city, 
piles  of  legs  and  arms,  like  heaps  of  wood,  were  to 
be  seen ! " 

He  tarried  in  cities  and  villages  where  these  fearful 
things  were  occurring.  No  newspaper  could  report 
these  services ;  no  love  of  notoriety  or  personal  fame 
could  have  prompted  them.  It  was  only  into  private 
circles  he  could  enter.  The  right  of  assembly,  for 
any  purpose,  haunted  like  a  spectre  the  ambitious  and 
omnipresent  militarism  of  the  time.  His  service  was 
like  the  solitude  of  the  Divine  love  in  its  patient 
ministering.  He  interpreted  indeed  this  love  of  the 
pitying  Father  as  he  went  from  place  to  place,  seeking 
to  mitigate  the  horrors  of  that  awful  time,  and  to 
keep  alive  the  trembling  hope  of  piety  in  crushed 
hearts.  No  wonder  however  he  should  exclaim : 
"  If  the  dead  rise  not,  says  the  apostle,  why  are  we 
baptized  for  the  dead  ?  So  may  not  some  of  us  say, 
if  there  is  no  hope  to  see  the  end  of  these  scenes  of 
human  misery,  anguish  and  distress,  why  are  we 
brought  into  the  wrestling  state?  why  do  we  tread 
the  agonizing  path  ?  O  Lord,  hasten  the  time  when 
men  shall  learn  righteousness !  I  must  however  say 
that  He  who  was  with  His  servants  in  their  various 
and  fiery  trials  in  ancient  days  is  with  me  in  this  land, 
as  He  has  been  in  my  former  pilgrimages.  He  very 
graciously  makes  good  His  promise,  '  I  will  never 
leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.'  He  keeps  my  mind,  in 
a  good  degree,  stayed  upon  Him,  so  that  though  the 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  101 

sea  roar  and  dash  its  waves,  His  everlasting  arm  is 
near.  Most  abundantly  I  can,  as  I  ought  to,  sing  His 
praise,  and  proclaim  His  wondrous  doings." 

Oh,  take  heart,  ye  suffering  servants  of  God  in 
these  later  days  !  He  is  near  who  would  comfort  you. 
He  bids  you  "  beware  of  men,"  and  still  serve  men. 
Amidst  oppositions  and  fierce  trials  you  are  not  for- 
gotten of  Him.  Your  efforts,  your  sighs,  your  heart 
failings,  are  known  to  Him.  In  a  world  th.  t  is  still 
ruled  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  full  of  human 
selfishnesses  and  ambitions,  how  can  ye  be  under- 
stood? how  can  ye  have  your  full  consolation  here? 
Rejoice  rather  that  ye  thus  by  your  testimony  and 
your  patience  are  learning  "  the  fellowship  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ,"  and  are  permitted  to  be  in 
sympathy  with  Him. 

As  Stephen  Grellet  proceeds  on  this  service,  no 
doubt,  in  France  his  rank  makes  a  way  for  him,  but 
it  is  his  reputation  for  piety  that  has  gone  before  him. 
In  Paris  he  has  useful  intercourse  with  suffering 
pastors  of  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  churches ;  has 
interesting  conferences  with  Roman  Catholics  to 
whom  the  troubles  of  the  times  had  brought  a  spiritual 
awakening;  visits  Protestant  schools;  is  visited  for 
guidance  by  many,  and  among  them  a  Jewess,  the 
wife  of  a  man  of  great  wealth,  to  whom  he  opens  the 
Scripture  testimony  concerning  Jesus  ;  every  day  he 
circulates  religious  books  which  could  not  otherwise 
be  obtained.  At  Limoges  he  spends  some  days 
among  his  relatives  and  has  "  a  long  and  satisfactory 
opportunity  with  them."     At  Brives  he  is  again  with 


102  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

his  mother,  confirming  her  and  the  pious  nuns  of  the 
convent,  in  their  new  life  of  trust  and  love ;  at  Rodez 
he  has  the  joy  of  religious  meetings  with  his  two 
brothers,  his  uncle  and  cousins,  and  he  finds  "the 
Truth  has  never  been  more  endeared  to  them ; "  at 
Montpelier  he  is  entertained  in  the  hospitable  home 
of  his  friend,  Louis  Majolier,  and  in  private  meetings 
is  able  to  point  families  under  heavy  affliction,  on 
account  of  the  death  of  their  sons  in  the  war,  to  the 
abiding  source  of  rest ;  at  St.  Hypolite  he  is  treated 
with  the  utmost  courtesy  by  the  commissary  of  police, 
who  was  so  rude  to  him  on  his  former  visit,  and  the 
commissary  prepares  a  spacious  building  into  which 
Protestants  and  Roman  Catholics  crowd,  to  whom  he 
preaches  "the  glorious  gospel  of  life  and  salvation." 
At  Nismes,  whither  he  has  proceeded  on  foot,  he  is 
soon  surrounded  by  about  eighty  persons,  chiefly 
Moravians,  and  as  he  is  speaking  of  "  the  great  love 
of  God  to  us  through  our  blessed  Redeemer,"  officers 
of  the  gendarmerie  with  some  soldiers  enter  and  take 
their  seats ;  but  they,  with  the  rest,  are  constrained  to 
"  bend  their  knees  with  tears  and  prayers  to  the  Lord 
God  and  to  the  Lamb."  They  had  come  to  apprehend 
him,  had  been  seeking  him  for  several  days,  but 
report  to  the  prefect  that  they  had  never  heard  any 
one  speak  in  such  a  manner  before. 

Nor  was  it  from  the  police  only  he  found  opposition. 
He  was  speaking  once  of  "Jesus  Christ  in  us,  the 
hope  of  glory,"  the  minister  of  the  sanctuary,  our  only 
Saviour,  through  whom  alone  forgiveness  of  sin  can 
be  obtained,  when  two  of  their  priests  came  in.     "  One 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  103 

was  the  Grand  Vicar  of  the  Bishop,  and  seeing  that  I 
was  not  a  Papist,  he  soon  began  to  proclaim  damnation 
upon  me,  and  upon  all  those  who  are  out  of  the  pale 
of  the  Romish  church,  where  only,  said  he,  by  con- 
fession and  the  pronouncing  of  absolution,  sin  could 
be  remitted  ;  repentance  and  contrition  because  of  our 
sins,  he  added,  were  not  necessary — attrition  alone, 
with  the  priest's  absolution,  sufficed ;  forms  of  prayer, 
uttered  with  the  lip,  though  in  language  not  under- 
stood or  in  which  the  heart  was  not,  were  nevertheless 
prayers  acceptable  to  God  ;  so  was  also  the  prostration 
of  the  body  before  their  altars  and  the  images  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  saints,  etc.,  though  the  heart  might  be 
lifted  up  in  pride  or  vanity;  he  said,  though  a  priest 
were  ever  so  vicious  in  his  life  and  conversation,  yet 
in  virtue  of  his  office,  having  received  a£  his  ordination 
the  keys  of  heaven,  he  had  power  to  retain  or  forgive 
sin  at  his  pleasure,  and  whatever  he  says,  in  his  priestly 
capacity,  ought  to  be  received  and  believed  as  the 
word  of  Christ,  whom  he  represents.  The  poor  man 
went  on  to  utter  so  many  absurdities  that  the  nuns 
seemed  to  be  astonished  at  him.  I  found  it  in  vain 
to  say  much  to  him,  for,  on  my  attempting  to  do  so, 
he  gave  way  to  such  passion  as  seemed  to  me  would 
only  lead  him  to  add  sin  to  sin.  However  absurd 
were  these  assertions,  I  have  heard  many  others  ad 
vancing  the  same.  I  have  frequently  heard  virtuous 
and  pious  females  state  what  a  great  trial  it  was  to 
them  to  have  to  believe  that  it  was  their  indispensable 
duty  to  confess,  and  still  more  so  when  they  know 
that  the  priest  to  whom  they  go   is  a  vicious   and 


104  STEPHEN  GRLLLET. 

immoral  man.  It  is  no  wonder  that  so  many  in 
viduals  should  become  infidels,  as  is  the  case  in  many 
parts  of  the  Pope's  dominions.  One  of  these  blind 
guides  told  me,  '  that  though  a  man  should  so  fully 
love  God  and  his  neighbor  as  to  be  able  to  act  accord- 
ing to  whatever  the  gospel  of  Christ  requires,  yet  if 
he  did  not  go  to  confess,  he  would  be  lost  for  ever.' " 

After  this  we  find  him  ministering  at  Marseilles, 
then  mourning  over  the  levity  and  superstition  of 
Nice,  and  now  finding  refreshment  to  himself  in 
"  beautiful  "  Mentone  and  the  summer  air  "  tempered 
by  the  cool  breezes  "  which  descended  from  the  Mari- 
time Alps.  Thence  he  proceeds  to  Genoa,  where  he 
has  "precious  "  meetings  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  persons, 
composed  of  Roman  Catholics  and  Waldenses  from 
the  valleys  of  Piedmont. 

In  Genoa  a  singular  preservation  was  vouchsafed  to 
him.  It  was  in  his  heart  to  go  to  the  ancient  and 
modern  capital  of  Italy,  and  he  narrates :  "  Finding 
that  it  would  be  impracticable  to  go  by  land  to  Rome, 
on  account  of  the  numerous  bands  of  robbers  that 
attacked  travellers,  even  when  escorted  by  large  com- 
panies of  soldiers,  I  concluded  to  try  to  go  there  by 
sea,  by  way  of  Leghorn.  As  I  was  going  to  engage 
my  passage  for  that  port,  my  mind  was  introduced 
into  unutterable  distress — gross  darkness  seemed  to  be 
before  me,  whilst  a  bright  stream  of  light  was  behind; 
I  stood  still  for  a  while,  and  found  I  could  not  go  for- 
ward. I  returned  to  my  lodgings,  and  in  my  chamber 
poured  forth  my  soul  unto  the  Lord,  entreating  Him 
to  direct  me  aright.     He  knew  it  was  in  obedience  to 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  105 

His  Divine  will  that  I  had  come  to  these  nations,  and 
that  to  His  Divine  guidance  and  almighty  protection  I 
had  wholly  committed  myself  and  my  all.  He  very  gra- 
ciously condescended  to  be  near  to  me  in  my  distress, 
and  to  hear  the  voice  of  my  supplication.  He  gave  me 
to  see,  and  strongly  to  feel,  that  to  Rome  and  Naples  I 
should  indeed  go,  but  that  the  time  for  it  had  not  yet 
come,  and  the  language  of  the  Spirit  was  to  proceed 
with  all  speed  to  Geneva  and  Switzerland.  My  soul 
was  greatly  humbled  before  the  Lord,  who  thus  con- 
descended to  instruct  His  poor  servant,  and  to  direct 
him  in  the  way  which  He  would  have  him  to  go.  I 
remembered  before  I  left  America,  when,  dismayed  on 
contemplating  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  the  Lord's 
work  to  which  I  was  called,  the  gracious  promise 
came, — '  I  will  teach  thee  and  instruct  thee  in  the  way 
in  which  thou  goest,  I  will  guide  thee  with  Mine 
eye.' " 

He  afterwards  learnt  that  the  armies  of  Napoleon 
were  in  full  flight  to  France  after  their  defeats  by  the 
Germans,  and  were  closely  pursued  by  the  Austrians ; 
the  army  of  the  King  of  Naples,  also  in  full  retreat  to 
the  south,  would  have  shut  him  up  in  Italy,  had  he 
not  made  his  way  to  Switzerland,  and  that  he  would 
moreover  have  been  in  peril  from  orders  sent  from 
Paris  to  Nismes  to  follow  and  arrest  him.  Well  might 
he  exclaim  :  "  Thus  have  I  been  delivered  from  two- 
fold dangers, — from  being  carried  to  Paris  as  a  pris- 
oner for  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  or  shut  up  in  some 
corner  of  Italy.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  trust 
for  ever  in  the  guidance  of  His  Divine  Spirit,  who 


106  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

alone  can  and  ought  to  direct  thy  steps,  and  all  thy 
movements,  especially  in  the  service  of  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel  to  which  He  has  called  thee." 

By  way  of  Turin  he  passed  to  Geneva.  The  city  of 
Calvin  had  been  brought  under  the  influence  of  ration- 
alism and  Socinianism.  Fifteen  pastors  and  three 
professors  of  theology  held  a  meeting  with  him.  He 
speaks  of  it  as  "  a  great  cross,  being  sensible  of  his 
want  of  qualification."  There  are  however  evidences 
that  this  and  other  interviews  made  a  deep  and  lasting 
impression.  His  calm  and  firm  appeals  to  Scripture 
proof  of  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  were  among  the 
influences  that  prepared  the  way  for  the  evangelical 
revival  which  shortly  afterwards  visited  Geneva. 

After  meetings  of  a  like  nature  with  other  Swiss 
pastors  he  entered  Bavaria.  There  the  Spirit  had  been 
moving  on  the  hearts  of  men.  A  remarkable  religious 
awakening  had  taken  place;  besides  many  private 
persons,  nearly  forty  Roman  Catholic  priests,  spite  of 
heavy  persecutions,  had  borne  faithful  witness  to 
scriptural  teaching;  among  them  were  Lindel,  Gossner, 
and   Martin   Boos.*      The  visit   of  Stephen    Grellet 


*  The  conversion  of  Martin  Boos  is  so  striking  as  to  demand 
this  foot-note.  In  1789  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic.  In  the 
discharge  of  his  office  as  a  priest,  he  went  to  visit  a  woman 
distinguished  by  her  humility  and  piety,  who  was  dangerously 
ill.  "  I  do  not  doubt,"  said  he,  endeavoring  to  prepare  her  for 
death,  "  that  you  die  calmly  and  happily."  "And  why?"  said 
the  woman.  "Because,"  replied  he,  "your  life  has  been  a 
continued  chain  of  good  actions."  The  woman  smiled  and 
said  :  "  If  I  were  to  die  relying  for  my  salvation  on  the  works 
which  you  mention,  I  am  certain  that  I  should  be  condemned; 
but  that  which  makes  me  calm  at  this  awful  moment  is  that  I 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  107 

became  to  large  numbers  of  inquiring  persons  in  the 
Catholic  Church  one  of  great  encouragement  and  con- 
firmation. His  "  vivacity  "  and  "  solidity,"  of  which 
Dr.  Steinkopff  bore  witness,  pre-eminently  fitted  him 
for  such  a  service.  He  also  arranged  with  Gossner  to 
put  into  circulation  an  edition  of  six  thousand  copies 
of  the  Scriptures.     In  Munich  he  is  still  following  in 


rely  on  Jesus  Christ  my  Saviour."  "Those  few  words,"  says 
Boos,  "  in  the  mouth  of  a  dying  woman,  who  was  looked  upon 
as  a  saint,  opened  my  eyes  for  the  first  time.  I  understood  the 
meaning  of  Christ  for  us  ;  like  Abraham,  I  saw  His  day.  From 
that  time  I  announced  to  others  that  Saviour  whom  I  had 
Lamed  to  know,  and  there  were  many  who  rejoiced  with  me." 
Thus  did  this  woman,  whom  he  wished  to  prepare  for  death, 
prepare  him  for  life  eternal.  The  impressions  which  he  had 
received  were  never  effaced.  He  put  in  practice  the  lessons 
he  had  been  taught,  and  zealously  preached  the  doctrines  for 
which  he  had  afterwards  so  severely  to  suffer.  His  labors 
began  to  be  blessed  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  He  felt 
deeply  his  own  insufficiency,  and  sought,  in  continual  prayer 
to  God  and  the  assiduous  perusal  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the 
assistance  which  he  needed.  He  generally  felt  his  own  sin- 
fulness and  insufficiency  most  deeply  when  he  was  about  to 
deliver  a  discourse  intended  to  affect  the  consciences  of  others. 
On  these  occasions  he  would  often  forget  the  sermon  which 
he  had  studiously  composed  and  committed  to  memory,  and 
*  would  acknowledge  with  tears  to  his  hearers  that  he  had  noth- 
ing to  say  to  them  ;  but  he  would  feel  himself  led  on,  by  the 
contemplation  of  their  wants  and  his  own  insufficiency,  to  urge 
upon  them  that  which  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  him  at  that  moment 
for  their  edification.  Several  discourses,  uttered  thus  from  the 
abundance  of  his  heart,  were  the  instruments  of  a  religious 
awakening  which  took  place  at  that  time  at  Gallneukirchen. 

After  a  long  life  of  much  usefulness,  when  he  felt  the  end 
drawing  near,  he  said  to  a  friend  that  he  was  dying  in  that 
faith  for  which  he  had  suffered ;  and  to  another  he  wrote, 
"  Even  now  I  feel  that  none  shall  seethe  Lord  without  having 
washed  his  robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  See  "  Life  and 
Persecutions  of  Martin  Boos,  edited  by  J.  Gossner;"  translated 
from  the  German. 


108  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

the  wake  of  the  Spirit's  operations.  There  he  had 
audiences  with  the  Crown  Prince  and  the  King.  Of 
the  last  interview  he  writes:  "The  King  wished  to 
know  the  result  of  my  observations  in  the  visits  I  had 
made  to  the  prisons.  Having  answered  his  inquiries, 
my  way  was  open  for  introducing  the  subject  of  liberty 
of  conscience,  and  the  sufferings  that  had  been  inflicted 
on  several  of  his  subjects  on  that  account.  He  threw 
the  blame  on  the  Pope,  his  nuncio  and  the  bishops. 
'They  are  continually  teasing  me  on  that  account/ 
said  he.  This  very  interesting  topic  led  me  to  make 
some  remarks  of  a  religious  character,  under  which 
the  King's  mind  appeared  to  be  impressed  ;  and  at  last, 
when  I  was  about  to  withdraw,  he  put  his  arms  round 
my  neck,  and  bade  me  farewell.  We  had  been  together 
above  an  hour. 

"  The  Prince  was  delighted  at  my  account  of  the 
reception  the  King,  his  father,  had  given  me.  I  do 
hope  that  the  powerful  convictions  that  he  has  received, 
and  the  impressions  that,  through  the  love  of  Christ, 
have  been  made  upon  him,  will  prove  lasting." 

Pursuing  the  same  track,  of  the  Spirit's  visitations, 
we  find  him  next  in  Ratisbon,  where,  among  other 
evidences  of  this  grace,  he  records : 

"  I    found    in  the    Count  Westerwood  and   family 

genuine  piety ;    also  in  the  Princess .      She  has 

surrounded  herself  with  those  who,  like  her,  love  the 
Lord  Jesus,  Thus,  amidst  the  thick  clouds  of  dark- 
ness that  hang  over  the  nations,  and  the  tumult  of 
war,  there  are  here  and  there  those  who  know  the 
Lord   Jesus   to  be  their  sanctuary.     My  spirit  was 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE  109 

refreshed  in  a  meeting  with  a  company  of  these  pious 
persons." 

Three  weeks  were  thus  spent  among  those  who,  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  church,  were  confessing  the 
principles  of  the  Reformation.  His  unflinching  testi- 
mony against  the  corruptions  of  Rome,  and  his 
powerful  advocacy  among  princes  for  liberty  of  con- 
science, were  most  valuable  at  this  crisis.  Thence  he 
passed  to  Frankfort,  Neuwied,  Cologne,  Elberfeld, 
Pyrmont  and  Bremen.  His  labors  in  these  places 
were  incessant.  The  full  horrors  of  war  were  at  this 
time  falling  upon  this  part  of  Germany.  Wagons 
were  met.  with  the  blood  of  wounded  soldiers  flowing 
from  them ;  the  roads  were  strewed  with  the  dead  or 
dying ;  disease  and  famine  were  on  every  hand.  With 
a  heavy  heart  he  gathered,  wherever  possible,  small 
companies  for  religious  fellowship.  Desolation  and 
misery  were  over  the  land,  and  strongly  marked 
became  the  division  between  those  who  gave  them- 
selves up  to  a  wild  license  of  revelry  and  drunkenness, 
and  those  who,  in  their  anguish  and  consternation, 
sought  unto  the  Lord.  To  the  latter  he  was  a  most 
welcomed  minister  of  guidance  and  consolation. 

A  pleasant  contrast  is  presented,  in  his  Journal,  by 
the  condition  of  the  Swedish  army  who  were  passing 
to  join  the  Allied  forces. 

"  Whilst  I  was  in  these  parts,  several  bodies  of  the 
Swedish  army  passed  through.  Their  sobriety  and 
good  behavior  are  very  becoming.  Such  quietness 
prevailed  in  the  evenings  and  through  the  night,  that 
a  stranger  arriving  there  could  not  have  discovered 


110  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

that  he  was  in  the  midst  of  so  many  soldiers.  They 
all  retired  early  in  the  evening  to  the  several  quarters 
assigned  them,  and  previous  to  their  lying  down  the 
subaltern  attending  each  small  company  offered  up  a 
short  prayer,  in  which  the  others  joined.  I  had 
several  opportunities  of  hearing  them.  They  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  the  preservation  they  had  witnessed 
during  the  day,  and  interceded  for  the  continuation  of 
the  same  day  by  day, — then  entreated  the  Lord  for 
His  blessing  of  preservation  to  their  famHies  and  near 
relatives  in  their  absence.  In  the  morning,  when 
ready  for  their  departure,  they  were  all  marched  in  a 
body  before  the  door  of  the  house  where  their  com- 
manding officer  had  lodged,  and  he,  with  a  loud  voice, 
read  to  them  a  small  portion  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
then  offered  up  a  short  prayer.  I  have  not  heard  of 
the  like  practice  in  any  of  the  armies  of  the  several 
nations  now  confederate  together." 

The  preservation  he  experienced  at  this  time,  espe- 
cially from  the  hordes  of  the  Cossacks,  and  the  preda- 
tory bandits  who  were  scouring  the  land,  awakened 
his  fervent  gratitude. 

"  Feeling  my  mind  released  from  the  great  weight 
of  exercise  under  which  I  have  been  for  the  people 
on  the  continent,  my  soul  has  been  prostrated  very 
reverently  before  the  Lord,  who  has  been  my  saving 
help  and  strength  day  by  day,  night  after  night ;  the 
everlasting  arms  have  been  underneath  to  uphold  and 
preserve  me.  During  this  winter  I  have  been  more 
than  forty  nights  on.  the  road,  many  times  amidst 
robbers  and  murderers.    I  have  repeatedly  been  where 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE,  111 

contagious  diseases,  through  war,  prevailed  to  a  high 
degree,  so  that  the  mortality  was  great ;  often  also  I 
have  .made  but  one  scanty  meal  a  day;  but<#midst  all 
these  things  the  Lord  has  borne  me  up,  and  delivered 
me, — yea,  rendered  hard  things  easy.  My  health  is 
now  as  good,  or  better,  than*when  I  landed  in  France 
more  than  nine  months  ago.  And,  above  all,  the 
Lord,  my  great  and  blessed  Master,  who  called  me  to 
this  service  in  these  nations,  has  opened  a  way  for  me 
to  find  and  visit  a  portion  of  His  seed,  and  to  proclaim 
the  glad  tidings  of  His  salvation  to  thousands  of  the 
people,  both  rich  and  poor.  O  Lord !  bless  Thou 
those  pious  ones  whom  Thou  hast  enabled  me  to  visit! 
Oh,  bless  the  work  of  Thy  hands  everywhere ! " 

Numerous  letters  followed  him  from  Gossner,  Ver- 
net,  Gessner,  Hess,  and  other  devoted  persons,  among 
whom  were  men  of  rank  occupying  high  official 
positions.  They  testified  to  the  value  of  his  mission 
at  that  troublous  time. 

Again  in  England,  Stephen  Grellet  found  refresh- 
ment in  the  religious  circles  of  the  metropolis.  The 
royal  heads  of  the  Allied  army  were  now  in  London. 
A  committee  of  Friends  was  formed  to  draw  up  an 
address  on  behalf  of  the  sufferers  from  the  war;  and 
which  urged,  after  the  "  Peace  of  Paris,"  that  the 
gospel  of  Christ  demanded  a  spirit  of  peace  in  the 
future  government  of  Europe.  The  King  of  Prussia 
was  the  first  to  whom  Stephen  Grellet,  accompanied 
by  William  Allen,  had  access. 

"  The  attention  of  the  King  having  been  directed 
to  the  great  misery,  vice,  and  destruction  of  human  life 


112  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

attending  war,  contrary  as  it  is  to  Christianity,  he  inti- 
mated his  strong  desire  that  the  love  and  the  peaceable 
spirit  which  the  gospel  of  Christ  inspires  might  per- 
vade the  whole  world,  and  lamented  the  sufferings  that 
have  attended  the  last  few  years.  We  presented  him 
also  with  a  number  of  our  books,  for  which  he  thanked 
us,  and  placed  them,  together  with  the  address,  under 
the  care  of  his  ambassador  to  this  nation,  who  accom- 
panied him." 

The  interview  with  the  Emperor  Alexander  of 
Russia  calls  for  a  longer  notice. 

"  We  could  not  find  an  opportunity  to  be  with  the 
Emperor  Alexander  till  the  2 1st  of  this  month,  though 
we  were  informed  that  he  had  heard  of  our  intention, 
and  desired  to  receive  us  as  early  as  he  could.  Dear 
William  Allen  and  another  Friend  went  with  me  to 
the  Pulteney  Hotel,  at  the  time  appointed  by  the 
Emperor.  He  came  to  meet  us  at  the  door  of  his 
apartment,  took  us  by  the  hand  in  a  kind  manner,  and 
said  that  for  a  length  of  time  he  had  wished  for  an 
opportunity  to  be  with  us.  Through  the  Empress, 
who  was  at  Baden  when  I  was  at  Carlsruhe  last  winter, 
he  said  that  he  had  heard  of  me  and  of  my  visit  there. 
Then  he  inquired  into  several  of  our  religious  testi- 
monies, principles  and  practices,  to  which  dear  William 
Allen  answered  in  English,  which  language  the 
Emperor  speaks  well.  Whilst  William  was  engaged 
in  stating  the  nature  of  our  Christian  principles,  the 
Emperor  said  several  times,  '  These  are  my  own 
sentiments  also.'  He  was  very  particular  in  his 
inquiries  respecting  our  views  and  practices  in  connec- 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.     .  113 

tion  with  Divine  worship,  the  ministry,  the  influence 
of  the  Divine  Spirit,  etc.  He  made  several  very- 
pertinent  remarks  on  these  various  subjects,  particu- 
larly on  prayer ;  respecting  worship,  he  said  that  God, 
who  knoweth  our  hearts,  cannot  be  pleased  with  nor 
be  acceptably  worshipped  by  the  observance  of 
outward  forms  and  ceremonies,  or  the  repetition  of 
words  which  the  wicked  and  the  hypocrite  could  use, 
though  continuing  in  their  sinful  practices  ;  but  that  a 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth  is  the  most  acceptable 
to  God,  who  is  a  Spirit,  and  that  before  Him  our  own 
spirit  must  be  reverently  prostrated.  Respecting 
prayer  he  said,  '  I  pray  every  day,  not  in  a  form  of 
words,  but  as  the  Lord,  by  His  Spirit,  convincing  me 
of  my  wants,  enables  me  to  do.'  We  entered  fully 
on  the  subject  of  our  testimony  against  war,  to  which 
he  fully  assented.  He  made  several  other  inquiries 
of  a  religious  character,  which  having  been  answered, 
silence  ensued,  after  which,  feeling  my  heart  warmed 
by  the  love  of  Christ  towards  him,  and  under  a  sense 
also  of  the  peculiar  temptations  and  trials  to  whicL 
his  exalted  station  in  the  world  subjected  him,  I 
addressed  a  few  words  to  him ;  his  heart  appeared 
sensibly  and  tenderly  affected;  with  tears,  he  took 
hold  of  my  hand,  which  he  held  silently  for  a  while, 
and  then  said,  '  These  your  words  are  a  sweet  cordial 
to  my  soul ;  they  will  long  remain  engraven  on  my 
heart.'  We  furnished  him  with  a  number  of  Friends' 
books,  which  he  received  with  pleasure;  and  on  our 
taking  leave  of  him,  having  been  together  upwards  of 
an  hour,  he  took  each  of  us  by  the  hand  and  said: 


114  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

1 1  part  from  you  as  from  friends  and  brethren  :  feelings 
which  I  hope  will  ever  remain  with  me.' 

"After  we  had  left,  the  Grand  Duchess,  his  sister, 
sent  a  request  to  us  to  furnish  her  with  books  like 
those  we  had  presented  to  the  Emperor,  which  was 
cheerfully  complied  with.  Here  I  may  say  that  the 
Emperor  and  his  sister,  accompanied  by  Count  Lieven, 
his  ambassador,  came  to  one  of  our  meetings  at  West- 
minster meeting-house;  William  Allen,  who  knew  of 
their  intention  through  the  ambassador,  accompanied 
them.  It  proved  a  good  and  solemn  meeting.  The 
Emperor  and  Grand  Duchess,  by  their  solemn  coun- 
tenances and  religious  tenderness,  gave  evidence  that 
they  felt  it  to  be  so  to  them. 

"  I  felt  my  mind  much  relieved  after  this  service 
with  these  crowned  heads,  particularly  as  I  had  a  full 
opportunity  to  lay  before  them  the  enormities  of  war, 
and  to  direct  their  attention  to  the  peaceable  spirit  of 
Christ ;  Alexander  especially  appeared  to  feel  deeply 
on  the  subject,  and  to  be  sincere  in  his  desire  for  the 
promotion  of  harmony,  love,  and  peace  throughout 
the  world ;  he  told  us  that  his  concern  had  been  great, 
that  the  several  crowned  heads  might  conclude  to 
settle  their  differences  by  arbitration  and  not  by  the 
sword." 

The  reference  to  William  Allen  in  the  foregoing  ex- 
tracts calls  for  a  notice  of  this  distinguished  Quaker. 
He  was  a  little  older  than  Stephen  Grellet,  having 
been  born  in  London,  August,  1770.  He  obtained 
early  in  life  considerable  distinction  by  his  scientific 
acquirements,  and  when  thirty-two  years  of  age  was 


SECOND   VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  115 

elected  a  member  of  the  Linnaean  Society,  and  became 
a  lecturer  on  chemistry  at  Guy's  Hospital  and  the 
Royal  Institution.  In  1 807  he  was  elected  Fellow  of 
the  Royal  Society.  While  pursuing  these  scientific 
studies  he  dedicated-  much  wealth  and  labor  on  behalf 
of  the  oppressed  Africans,  popular  education,  reform 
of  the  criminal  code,  the  Bible  Society,  and  inter- 
national peace.  In  the  establishment  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  School  Society  he  took  a  prominent 
part ;  and  the  relief  of  distress  in  the  cities  of  England 
at  that  period,  and  of  the  agricultural  population,  en- 
gaged much  of  his  attention.  These  things  are  noted, 
to  correct  an  impression  that  he,  associated  afterwards 
with  Stephen  Grellet,  paid  too  much  court  to  royal 
personages.  The  impression  is  most  unjust.  Kings 
and  emperors  had  then,  as  now,  the  well-being  and 
liberties  of  the  nations  in  their  hands,  and  no  service 
could  have  been  more  demanded  of  ministers  of  re- 
ligion than  that  of  faithful  and  courteous  testimony, 
before  crowned  heads,  against  the  war  spirit,  and  in 
favor  of  religious  liberty,  and  of  attention  to  the  con- 
dition of  prisoners. 

After  these  engagements  in  London,  Stephen 
Grellet  attended  the  Quarterly  Meetings  of  Friends 
held  at  York,  Durham,  Westmoreland  and  Lanca- 
shire. Kent  and  Sussex  were  afterwards  visited  by 
him.  In  October,  1 8 14,  he  turned  his  face  homeward, 
and,  having  arrived  in  New  York,  records  his  grati- 
tude to  God  for  the  providential  mercies  thrown 
around  his  wife  during  his  absence,  and  the  marked 
interpositions  of  his  Divine  Master  on  his  behalf. 


116  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

"  My  soul  was  reverently  prostrated  before  the 
Lord  for  the  preservation  extended  to  us.  His  own 
arm  brought  us  deliverance.  '  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  because 
he  trusteth  in  Thee.'  Thus  did  my  gracious  Lord 
uphold  me,  and  deliver  me;  for  ever  adored  and 
praised  be  His  holy  name.  How  often  has  He,  in 
the  course  of  these  last  three  years  and  a  half,  greatly 
magnified  His  name.  He  has  been  my  refuge  and 
strength,  and  has  never  failed  me.  I  have  travelled 
during  this  engagement  about  twenty-six  thousand 
miles  by  land,  besides  several  thousands  by  water, 
and  have  had  during  that  period  nearly  as  many 
meetings  as  days.  I  went  out  very  poor  in  spirit,  so 
I  return;  and  yet  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  not 
lacked  anything.  It  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  to  Him 
the  whole  praise  and  glory  are  ascribed!  On  my 
arrival  in  New  York  I  found  that  my  beloved  wife 
was  at  Burlington.  We  soon  met  there,  and  rejoiced 
together  in  the  Lord  for  His  great  goodness  to  us 
both,  exciting  a  desire  that,  through  His  Divine  grace 
helping  us,  we  may  stand  offered  up  to  Him  and  His 
service  to  the  end  of  our  lives." 

We  close  this  chapter  with  SteinkopfTs  words,  before 
referred  to :  "  Previously  to  Stephen  Grellet's  going 
this  journey,  I  had  an  interview  with  him,  when  he 
told  me  his  intended  route.  I  said,  '  It  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  you  could  have  formed/  I  knew  that, 
if  he  gained  a  passport  at  all  to  visit  some  parts  of 
France,  it  would  be  from  one  of  the  most  strict  police 
officers  on  the  continent,  and  much  I  feared  for  the 


SECOND   VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  117 

safety  of  this  excellent  man ;  but  when  he  began  to 
tell  me  what  his  religious  views  were,  and  I  saw  how 
his  heart  was  bound  to  his  duty,  I  believed  that  the 
Lord  sent  him,  and  that  it  was  His  work;  I  could  not 
doubt  of  its  accomplishment.  So  it  has  proved.  He 
is  now  safely  returned,  after  having  passed  through 
armies  of  Cossacks,  from  whom  he  met  with  little  or 
no  insult.  The  blessing  of  the  Lord  was  with  him, 
and  I  doubt  not  made  him  instrumental  of  much  good. 
This  gentleman  has  all  the  vivacity  of  a  Frenchman 
with  the  solidity  of  the  English." 

"  No  weapon  that  is  formed  against  thee  shall  pros- 
per ;  and  every  tongue  that  shall  rise  against  thee  in 
judgment  thou  shalt  condemn.  This  is  the  heritage 
of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  and  their  righteousness  is 
of  Me,  saith  the  Lord  "  (Isa.  liv.  17). 


CHAPTER   X. 

MISSION  TO    THE   NORTHERN   EUROPEAN  NATIONS. 

THE  prayer  of  Stephen  Grellet  at  the  close  of  the 
last  chapter  was  "that  through  Divine  grace 
helping  us  "  (i.  e.t  Mrs.  Grellet  and  himself),  "  we  may- 
stand  offered  up  to  the  Lord  and  His  service  to  the 
end  of  our  lives."  The  words  will  remind  of  those 
remarkable  ones  in  "  The  Imitation  of  Christ."  It  is 
thus  the  Lord  speaks  to  His  followers:  "  I  have  very 
often  said  unto  thee,  Forsake  thyself,  resign  thyself, 
and  thou  shalt  enjoy  much  inward  peace.  Give  all 
for  all ;  seek  nothing,  ask  back  nothing;  abide  purely 
and  with  a  firm  confidence  in  Me,  and  thou  shalt  pos- 
sess Me,  thou  shalt  be  free  in  heart,  and  darkness  shall 
not  tread  thee  down.  Let  this  be  thy  whole  endeavor; 
let  this  be  thy  prayer,  thy  desire ;  that  being  stripped 
of  all  selfishness  thou  mayest  with  entire  simplicity 
follow  Jesus  only,  and,  dying  to  thyself,  mayest  live 
eternally  in  Me." 

The  freedom  and  efficiency  of  Stephen  Grellet  must 
be  attributed  to  this  unreserved  purpose  to  do  the  will 
of  Christ.  Without  difficulty  he  was  enabled  wisely 
to  instruct  in  every  private  circle  of  the  poor  and  of 
persons  of  distinction,  and  to  speak  with  wonderful 
persuasiveness  in  every  meeting  he  addressed.     In  his 

(118) 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NA  TIONS.      119 

case  we  seem  to  learn  that  entire  disinterestedness, 
self  control,  and  devotion  to  truth  are  more  effective 
than  intellect,  high  culture,  and  depths  of  scholarly- 
penetration,  which  are  less  sanctified.* 

Considerations  that  have  a  national  bearing  demand 
notice  also.  At  the  epoch  under  consideration,  En- 
gland, during  her  long  years  of  peace,  the  eagle  spirit 
of  the  great  conqueror  of  France  having  been  subdued, 
was  to  initiate  that  golden  age  of  faith,  Christian  en- 
thusiasm, enterprise,  and  successful  commerce  towards 
which  she  continued  to  advance  so  grandly  until  the 
middle  of  the  century.  The  continental  nations,  dur- 
ing the  same  period,  were  to  develop  that  love  of  free- 
dom, and  to  realize  that  power  of  a  true  spiritual  life, 


*  The  first  disciples  of  Christ  have  been  termed  "  very  infe- 
rior men."  A  distinguished  preacher  and  writer  has  said: 
'•  None  can  know  what  the  reasons  were  for  the  selection  by- 
Christ  of  the  inner  circle  of  His  disciples.  None  of  them  ex- 
hibited any  traits  of  genius."  But  may  not  this  be  to  judge 
by  a  human  standard  ?  Great  gifts  do  not  of  themselves  make 
the  effective  preachers.  Spite  of  their  errors,  contentions,  and 
inability  at  first  to  comprehend  their  Master,  the  eleven  pos- 
sessed eminent  moral  qualifications  for  the  witness  to  which 
they  were  called.  They  were  less  swayed  by  policy  and  con- 
ventional prejudices  than  other  more  cultivated  Jews.  Nico- 
demus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  did  not  openly  avow  their 
discipleship  till  compelled  by  the  final  crisis.  It  is  an  easy 
matter  to  picture  the  weakness  of  the  eleven,  for  two  of  them 
have  told  us  of  them.  It  may,  however,  be  questioned  whether 
men  of  higher  pretensions  would,  as  chroniclers  of  Jesus,  have 
been  as  likely  to  have  kept  back  their  own  personality,  and  to 
have  mirrored  for  us  so  carefully  the  very  word  and  look  of 
the  Lord.  In  the  depth  of  their  affections,  their  honesty  to 
conviction,  their  sincerity,  their  independence  of  popular  preju- 
dices, and  their  capacity  of  growth,  there  appear  adequate 
reasons  for  their  selection  by  Christ. 


aJt,  STEPHEN  GRELLET 

which  have  wrought  the  vastest  changes  in  European 
kingdoms,  the  most  remarkable  growth  of  liberty  for 
religious  opinion,  and  are  yet  struggling,  blindly  and 
eagerly,  but  with  grand  prophecies  for  the  future.  As 
for  the  United  States,  during  the  same  decades  they 
have  turned  over  a  page  of  progress  in  all  that  consti- 
tutes an  inventive,  commercial,  agricultural,  colonizing 
and  Christian  life,  more  magnificent  than  has  ever 
before  been  witnessed  in  any  historical  period.  And 
this  progress  will  not  be  followed  by  decay  like  that 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  for  apparently  America  is  more 
watchful  over  the  essential  salt  of  its  Christian  faith 
and  character  than  ourselves.  Surely  we  may  admire 
the  mercy  and  wisdom  of  God  that,  at  such  a  formative 
time  to  the  nations,  and  at  such  a  period  of  a  new  start 
for  humanity,  He  gave  to  Europe  and  America  the 
Christian  consecration  and  noble  self  denial  of  men 
like  Stephen  Grellet  and  William  Allen ;  and  as  we 
trace  their  work  we  are  indicating  the  unrecorded 
service  of  many  like-minded  men. 

Before  entering  on  their  joint  labors  for  a  season, 
reference  must  be  made  to  a  visit  paid  by  Mr.  Grellet 
to  one  of  the  islands  of  the  Antilles.  He  was  at  this 
time  in  New  York,  conducting  his  business  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother  in-law,  who  was  in  true  sym- 
pathy with  his  convictions  and  aims.  The  business 
was  prosperous.  He  afterwards  recorded :  "  I  was 
thereby  enabled  to  defray  the  heavy  expenses  of  my 
last  journey,  to  provide  for  my  beloved  family,  and  to 
lay  up  enough  to  pay  my  expenses  during  the  exten- 
sive  service   before    me.      My    wife   is    my   faithful 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NATIONS.      121 

helper ;  she  very  sweetly  encourages  me  to  follow  the 
Lord  in  the  paths  of  obedience  and  in  all  faithful- 
ness." 

While  thus  occupied,  he  paid  a  visit  to  Hayti. 
Columbus  landed  on  this  island  in  December,  1492. 
He  called  it  Hispaniola,  or  "  little  Spain."  It  is  often 
called  San  Domingo ;  its  size  and  fertility  give  it  rank 
as  the  second  of  the  Greater  Antilles.  At  this  time  it 
had  established  its  own  free  constitution.  Slavery 
had  been  for  ever  abolished.  The  Roman  Catholic 
religion  was  declared  to  be  that  of  the  state,  but  the 
exercise  of  every  other  was  tolerated. 

Stephen  Grellet's  visit  was  mainly  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  colored  population.  He  held  large 
meetings,  distributed  Bibles,  Testaments,  and  tracts. 
He  was  offered  a  spacious  Romish  church  as  being 
the  most  convenient  place  to  accommodate  the  people. 
On  his  expressing  objections  to  this  arrangement, 
the  President — Alexander  Petion — replied :  "  The 
meetings  are  for  Divine  worship,  and  for  this  purpose 
the  church  has  been  built;  moreover,  the  chief  priest 
has  no  objection."  This  removed  his  difficulty.  The 
meeting  was  largely  attended ;  his  language  however 
is :  "  great  was  the  travail  of  my  spirit  on  behalf  of 
this  large  congregation.  To  the  testimony  that  the 
Lord  is  very  near  to  those  who  are  lost  in  their  sins, 
in  order  to  save,  He  condescended  to  reveal  His  power, 
and  to  cause  the  stream  of  His  glorious  gospel  to 
flow."  He  also  met  about  six  thousand  of  the  mili- 
tary, gathered  before  the  palace  of  the  President,  who 
himself  sat  by  his  side  while  he  preached  "  the  un- 


122  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

searchable  riches  of  Christ,"  urging  the  soldiers  to 
come  and  range  themselves  under  the  standard  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  An  hour  after  the  service  the  general  in 
chief  with  most  of  his  staffvisited  him  at  his  lodgings,  to 
express  their  grateful  acknowledgment.  On  another 
occasion  the  free  colored  population  came  from  the 
mountains  and  villages  round  about  to  attend  a  larcfe 
meeting  in  the  market  place.  "  The  whole  preceding 
night,"  are  his  words,  "  my  exercise  was  such  that  my 
soul  cried  deeply  unto  the  Lord  for  His  saving  help 
and  strength.  It  was  as  if  the  weight  of  the  moun- 
tains was  upon  me,  and  I  felt  so  poor  and  empty  that 
I  thought  I  could  never  more  advocate  the  cause  of 
truth.  The  meeting  the  next  morning  was  quiet  and 
solemn,  and  the  Lord  very  graciously  was  strength  in 
weakness." 

In  weakness  He  promises  to  make  His  strength 
perfect.  The  influence  of  a  wise  and  benevolent  man 
among  a  lately  enslaved  people  was  beyond  all  estima- 
tion, and  he  was  able  to  add :  "  I  frequently  marvel 
in  beholding  how,  among  these  descendants  of  Africa, 
who  have  had  so  few  advantages  compared  to  many 
of  the  Europeans,  the  gospel  stream  does  flow,  and  the 
word  preached  appears  to  have  an  entrance ;  they  re- 
ceive it  in  the  simplicity  of  their  hearts,  and  in  the 
love  of  it.  I  may  also  bear  testimony  to  their  general 
good  conduct  and  honesty.  One  may  travel  among 
them  with  the  greatest  security.  I  have  heard  that 
very  frequently  large  sums  of  money  are  sent  over 
these  mountains  from  one  seaport  to  another,  and  no 
attempt  at  robbery  has  been  known.     Very  lately  a 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NATIONS.      123 

man  had  six  horses  loaded  with  sacks  of  dollars,  and 
one  of  the  sacks  had  become  so  worn  that,  when  the 
driver  discovered  it,  it  was  nearly  empty.  On  his 
going  back  he  found  the  dollars  scattered  on  the  road 
for  some  miles,  and  people  collecting  them.  They 
immediately  gave  him  what  they  had  picked  up,  and 
assisted  in  finding  more.  When  the  driver  sat  down 
to  count,  he  found  that  only  about  ten  were  missing ; 
and  then  these  men  went  farther  on  in  search,  and  at 
length  brought  him  back  every  single  dollar !  We 
might  in  vain  look  for  so  much  honesty  among  many 
of  our  white  people." 

The  interest  which  he  felt  in  the  people  of  Hayti 
did  not  cease  after  his  return.  He  corresponded  with 
Petion  and  some  of  the  chief  men  of  the  island,  and, 
both  by  enlisting  in  their  favor  the  efforts  of  English 
philanthropists,  and  by  more  direct  influence,  he  was 
the  means  of  rendering  valuable  aid  in  advancing  the 
cause  of  general  education,  and  of  the  social  as  well 
as  moral  and  religious  improvement  among  the 
Africans,  just  emerging  from  the  degrading  thraldom 
of  slavery,  and  of  others  suffering  from  long  continued 
struggles  for  political  liberty. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1818,  with  a  commendation  of 
Friends  he  sailed  for  England.  Arrived  in  London 
he  at  once  told  his  "  dear  friend  William  Allen  that  it 
was  he  who  was  to  be  associated  with  him  in  his  work 
among  the  nations."  Five  days  after,  in  company 
with  his  mother  and  daughter,  Allen  met  with  Stephen 
Grellet  for  the  purpose  of  waiting  before  the  Lord. 
After  the  manner  of  the  Friends  it  was  for  a  time  a 


121  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

season  of  silence,  which  was  at  length  broken  by 
William  Allen,  prostrate  on  his  knees,  offering  him- 
self and  his  all  to  the  Lord,  to  go  wherever  the 
blessed  Master  might  be  pleased  to  send  him,  and  to 
drink  whatever  cup  He  might  prepare.  Mr.  Grellet 
remarks :  "  Oh,  it  was  a  solemn  season  indeed ;  my 
soul  very  reverently  adored  the  excellency  of  the 
Lord's  power  and  mercy  in  thus  providing  for  me  the 
companion  after  my  own  heart,  towards  whom  my 
mind  had  been  inclined  for  a  length  of  time,  though 
none  knew  it  except  my  beloved  wife.  Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His 
holy  name ! " 

In  his  memorials  William  Allen  refers  to  the  "  very 
weighty  manner  "  in  which  among  Friends  Mr.  Grellet 
disclosed  his  "  concern "  for  the  European  nations. 
From  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Kent,  the  Prince 
Leopold,  the  Swedish  Ambassadors,  Thomas  Clarkson, 
Mrs.  E.  J.  Fry,  Priscilla  Gurney,  R.  D.  Alexander,  and 
others,  they  received  assurances  of  assistance  in  their 
mission,  or  of  prayers. 

Before  offering  a  few  passages  from  the  Journal 
which  records  their  work  through  northern  Europe, 
it  is  important  to  interpose  an  observation.  History 
has  so  exclusively  dealt  with  political,  dynastic,  and 
military  events,  as  to  justify  the  impression  that  the 
wars,  violence,  and  oppressions  of  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century  had  all  but  obliterated  traces  of  piety. 
No  mistake  could  be  greater.  The  mission  of  the 
Comforter  was  not  a  blessing  confined  to  the  first 
planting  of  the  Christian  church.    Since  the  ascension 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN NA  TIONS.     123 

of  the  Lord  Jesus,  when  heaven  and  earth  were  united 
in  Him,  there  has  been  no  period  when  the  Divine 
Spirit  has  not  moved  upon  human  hearts.  The  world 
has  yet  to  be  enriched  by  some  gifted  mind  who  shall 
trace  the  history  of  the  Spirit's  grace  through  all  these 
Christian  ages,  and  the  unexpected  and  rare  piety 
which  has  shone  in  every  social  circle,  in  every  Chris- 
tian communion,  and  in  all  lands.  Man  is  "  capable 
of  this  interior  presence  of  the  Divine  nature ; "  and 
to  some  readers  of  this  memoir  the  evidence  of  the 
gracious  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  in  places 
where  they  might  not  have  been  looked  for,  will  fur- 
nish a  valuable  encouragement  to  Christian  disciples 
outside  the  Society  of  Friends,  for  whom  especially 
Mr.  Grellet's  Journal  was  kept. 

"Norway:  Stavanger,  Eighth  Month  25th,  1818. 
The  little  company  here  who  profess  with  Friends 
have  hitherto  held  their  religious  meetings  in  one  of 
their  houses,  which  sometimes  subjected  them  to  in- 
terruptions, and  piously  inclined  persons  feel  diffident 
in  coming  to  sit  with  them  in  a  private  house.  This 
has  induced  us  to  endeavor  to  procure  a  suitable  place 
for  them  to  meet  in.  We  have  obtained  a  commo- 
dious room,  which  we  have  hired  for  one  year,  and 
had  it  properly  seated  and  prepared. 

"  Several  opportunities  have  presented  for  our  being 
with  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  place.  Some- 
times a  large  number  were  collected  together.  We 
assisted  them  in  organizing  a  meeting  for  maintaining 
good  order  and  Christian  care  over  one  another,  which 
is  to  be  held  every  two  months. 


126  STEPHEN  OREL  LET. 

"  Christiansand.  It  has  taken  us  two  days  to  come 
here  in  our  little  vessel,  which  we  have  now  discharged, 
as  we  expect  to  proceed  by  land. 

"  Accompanied  by  Peter  Isaacson,  a  pious  man  to 
whom  we  were  introduced,  we  have  visited  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  treated  us  with  great  civility,  and  is  dis- 
posed to  give  us  every  facility  he  can  in  the  further 
prosecution  of  our  religious  or  benevolent  objects. 

"  Christiania.  We  arrived  here  early  this  afternoon, 
and  had  in  the  evening  a  small  meeting  with  those 
who  profess  with  us.  Some  of  them  I  had  seen  on 
board  the  prison  ship  in  England. 

"  We  have  found  a  wide  door  set  open  before  us  by 
our  blessed  Master.  We  have  had  various  meetings, 
and  have  also  visited  families.  They  cordially  unite 
in  adopting  0. 2  rules  of  discipline  prepared  at  Stavan- 
ger;  and  cor.cludj  to  establish  a  Two-Months'  Meet- 
ing. We  have  had  some  pretty  large  and  satisfactory 
meeting's  with  the  inhabitants.  There  are  serious  and 
pious  individuals  among  them,  who  are  ready  to  re- 
ceive our  testimony.  We  find  great  openness  among 
the  men  in  power, — the  Governor,  the  chief  minister 
of  state,  their  several  officers,  and  many  of  the  princi- 
pal merchants.  Some  religious  meetings  among  that 
class  of  men  have  been  held  at  the  residence  of  the 
Governor,  and  have  been  seasons  of  Divine  favor. 
There  is  here  a  fortress,  in  which  many  prisoners  are 
confined  for  life,  others  for  a  term  of  years.  The  gov- 
ernor of  the  castle  had  them  collected  in  their  respec- 
tive yards,  to  give  us  an  opportunity  of  meeting  with 
them. 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN-  EUROPEAN  NATIONS.      127 

"  Stockholm.  We  have  been  closely  occupied  since 
coming  to  this  city,  where  we  felt  ourselves  particu- 
larly concerned  for  the  poor  and  the  suffering.  It  has 
led  us  to  visit  their  various  institutions.  We  have 
had  the  company  of  Phillipson,  a  pious  and  benevo- 
lent man,  whose  time  and  large  estate  are  employed 
in  acts  of  benevolence.  He  is  the  founder  and  sup- 
porter of  several  of  these  establishments,  and  takes  a 
very  active  part  in  many  others.  Those  for  the  edu- 
cation of  poor  children  are  very  extensive :  they  are 
on  the  most  liberal  plan,  and  in  good  order.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  their  retreats  for  the  aged ;  they 
are  treated  more  like  persons  in  middle  circumstances 
in  life  than  is  generally  the  case  in  poorhouses.  They 
have  no  beggars  here ;  indeed  they  are  not  allowed ; 
if  a  man  cannot  obtain  work,  some  is  provided  for 
him;  if  he  knows  not  how  to  work,  he  is  taught;  if 
he  cannot  sell  his  produce,  a  reasonable  price  is  given 
him  for  it,  to  enable  him  to  live  till  he  can  do  better 
for  himself.  The  aged,  infirm  or  sick,  are  maintained 
in  the  most  liberal  manner.  We  have  visited  all  these 
establishments,  and  their  prisons  also,  having  religious 
meetings  in  many  of  them:  Enoch  Jacobson  being 
©ur  interpreter.  We  have  had  many  religious  oppor- 
tunities also  among  the  inhabitants  ;  some  of  these  were 
held  at  our  lodgings,  where  we  have  a  spacious  room 
for  the  purpose. 

"  Soon  after  our  arrival,  we  waited  on  the  Count 
D'Engerstrcim,  for  whom  we  had  letters ;  he  is  the 
prime  minister.  He  told  us  that  the  King  had  been 
informed  of  our  arrival  in  his  dominions,  and   had 


128  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

expressed  a  desire  to  see  us  when  we  came  to  Stock- 
holm. The  Count  appeared  to  take  much  interest  in 
the  object  of  our  religious  engagements. 

"  22d,  —  month.  Being  informed  by  Count  D'En- 
gerstrom,  that  the  King  (Bernadotte)  would  receive  us 
this  evening  at  his  palace  at  Rosendal,  we  went  there 
at  the  time  appointed.  We  had  requested  that  it 
might  be  a  private  audience,  but  the  Count  at  once 
introduced  us  into  a  very  spacious  and  richly  furnished 
room,  full  of  the  King's  great  men,  ministers,  generals, 
etc., — all  in  full  court  dresses — for  we  were  actually 
brought  into  the  court.  I  felt  low  on  finding  myself  in 
such  company.  What  a  contrast  we  were  to  them ! 
we  in  our  plain  simple  garb,  our  hats  on, — they  in 
their  rich  attire,  and  many  insignia  of  high  rank. 
They  treated  us,  however,  with  respect,  and  even  with 
affability;  such  especially,  at  whose  houses  we  had 
been,  and  who  had  attended  our  meetings.  Shortly 
after,  we  were  introduced  to  a  private  apartment  where 
the  King  was  alone.  He  received  us  with  kindness, 
entered  with  interest  into  the  objects  that  had  brought 
us  into  his  dominions,  and  wished  every  liberty  and 
facility  to  be  given  us  to  visit  any  place  we  might 
desire ;  and  requested  us  to  impart  to  him  any  obser- 
vations we  make,  that  he  might  administer  help  and 
relief  where  needed,  adding,  '  but  you  know  that  the 
king's  name,  which  implies  power,  is  not  always 
attended  with  it ;  on  the  contrary,  I  feel  very  often  my 
impotency.'  Having  inquired  what  further  stay  we 
proposed  to  make  in  Stockholm,  and  finding  that  it 


MISSION  TO  NOR  TIIERN  E  UR  OPE  A  N  NA  TIONS.       1 29 

was  to  be  prolonged  for  a  few  days,  he  said  he  desired 
to  see  us  again. 

"The  Count  D'Engerstrom  having  sent  us  informa- 
tion that  the  King  wished  to  see  us  at  five  P.  M.,  in 
the  town  palace,  we  went  accordingly.  The  Count 
was  waiting  for  us,  and  brought  us  at  once  into  the 
King's  private  chamber.  He  received  us  in  a  kind 
and  friendly  manner,  and  made  us  take  seats  by  him, 
none  being  present  with  us  but  the  Count.  We  had 
a  very  full  opportunity  with  him,  in  the  course  of 
which  we  pressed  the  necessity  of  allowing  liberty  of 
conscience  in  his  dominions.  The  King  feelingly 
alluded  to  the  great  responsibility  he  felt  as  monarch 
over  this  realm  ;  that  if  he  was  successful  in  doing  any 
good,  he  was  but  a  weak  instrument  in  it;  indeed  his 
power  was  very  limited.  He  spoke  with  much  feeling 
of  the  case  of  the  poor  Jews,  who,  by  the  law  of  the 
nation,  are  not  allowed  to  reside  in  this  country.  He 
had  several  times  tried  to  have  this  iniquitous  law 
repealed,  but  his  efforts  had  been  in  vain.  He  men- 
tioned an  occurrence  that  took  place  lately.  A  num- 
ber of  Jews  were  wrecked  on  the  Swedish  coast,  when 
it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  he,  the  King, 
had  succeeded  in  allowing  them  to  be  landed ;  but  he 
could  not  protect  them  from  being  sent  out  of  the 
kingdom  as  speedily  as  could  be,  though  the  poor 
sufferers  had  lost  their  all ;  supplies  were  given  from 
the  King's  private  purse.  We  were  almost  two  hours 
together;  and  on  our  parting  the  King  held  us  by  the 
hand,  and,  embracing  us,  seemed  as  if  lu  cjuld  hardly 


130  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

let  us  go,  following  us  with  his  eyes  and  uplifted  hand 
till  we  were  out  of  sight. 

"  Finland :  Abo,  29th  of  Tenth  Month.  We  arrived 
here  early  this  morning.  It  was  a  beautiful  passage. 
The  numerous  rocks  and  islands  through  which  we 
passed  are  called  '  The  Thousand  Islands.'  My  mind 
was,  however,  under  too  great  a  weight  of  feeling  to 
enjoy  the  surrounding  beauties.  On  the  one  hand  I 
was  prostrated  before  the  Lord  in  adoration  and 
praise,  for  the  help  He  has  granted  us  through  Nor- 
way and  Sweden,  the  wide  door  He  set  open  before 
us  to  proclaim  His  great  and  holy  name  among  the 
people  at  large,  and  to  many  of  their  clergy ;  and  the 
manner  in  which  way  has  been  made  for  us  to  spread 
before  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  many  of  his  nobles, 
our  concern  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  truth 
among  them.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  my  spirit  was 
brought  very  low  under  the  weight  and  magnitude  of 
the  mission  upon  me  for  this  vast  empire  of  Russia, 
not  knowing  what  may  befall  us  here.  O  Lord,  all 
things  are  possible  to  Thee !  Not  by  might  nor  by 
wisdom,  but  by  Thy  Spirit  only,  are  Thy  servants  to 
be  directed ;  their  help  is  from  Thee  alone ! 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  prison  in  the 
castle,  accompanied  by  the  doctor  and  the  secretary 
of  the  Governor-General.  The  castle  is  about  two 
miles  out  of  Abo.  The  chains  and  irons  fastened 
upon  the  poor  prisoners  exceed  what  I  have  seen  any- 
where else,  though  I  have  visited  many  prisons.  The 
Governor  has  it  not  in  his  power  to  remove  these 
fetters,  but   by  his  humane  treatment  the  prisoners 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NATIONS.     131 

are  kept  very  clean,  and  the  cells  dry  and  well  warmed 
in  winter.  We  have  taken  a  sketch  of  the  fetters  of 
these  miserable  sufferers,  which  perhaps  may  be  of 
use  at  a  future  day  in  endeavoring  to  procure  some 
relief  for  them.  One  man  has  been  confined  in  heavy 
irons  for  eighteen  years. 

"  31st.  I  felt  so  distressed  last  night  under  a  sense 
of  the  sufferings  and  misery  which  I  had  beheld,  that 
I  could  not  sleep ;  my  soul  was  poured  out  before  the 
Lord  that  He  would  open  the  way  for  the  mitigation 
of  so  much  distress. 

"  1st  of  Eleventh  Month.  Yesterday  we  had  a  full 
opportunity  with  the  Governor.  We  laid  before  him 
the  heavy  sufferings  of  the  poor  prisoners  in  the 
castle,  and  in  the  other  prisons.  He  feels  for  them, 
and  says  that  he  has  taken  steps  towards  a  change  in 
their  treatment,  but  has  not  yet  succeeded ;  he  appre- 
hends it  has  never  yet  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Emperor.  We  pressed  it  upon  him  to  exert  his  influ- 
ence for  the  relief  of  such  suffering.  We  have  had  a 
religious  opportunity  in  his  palace,  with  his  family  and 
about  fifty  other  persons.  His  wife  and  daughters  are 
serious  characters;  we  proclaimed  among  them  the 
redeeming  love  and  mercy  of  God,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  and  who  has  also  given  to  every  man,  for  this 
very  purpose,  the  manifestation  of  His  Spirit. 

"This  evening  we  had  another  opportunity  with 
about  forty  or  fifty  persons ;  two  of  them  were  our 
fellow  passengers  from  Stockholm,  a  young  nobleman 
from  Russia  and  a  lady.  The  Archbishop  sent  us  a 
request  for  an  interview.    We  accordingly  went  to  his 


132  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

house.  Our  minds  were  strongly  engaged  before  the 
Lord  that,  through  the  help  of  His  Spirit,  He  would 
preserve  us  from  everything  that  could  militate  against 
His  cause  of  righteousness  and  truth.  The  Archbishop 
received  us  at  first  in  his  private  apartment,  but  soon 
brought  us  into  a  spacious  room,  in  which  were  his 
wife  and  several  members  of  his  family,  who  were 
shortly  after  joined  by  many  of  the  clergy.  It  appears 
that  these  had  come  to  Abo  from  different  parts  of 
Finland,  on  some  special  occasion,  and  the  Archbishop 
was  willing  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  be  with  us. 
On  seeing  such  a  company  collect,  we  felt  our  minds 
brought  under  deep  exercise.  My  prayer  was  that 
the  Lord  would  turn  this  time  of  trial  to  His  glory, 
and  the  exaltation  of  His  great  name.  After  a  while 
I  felt  that  His  power  was  over  all,  and  my  confidence 
in  Him  was  renewed.  One  of  the  first  subjects  intro- 
duced by  the  Bishop  was  liberty  of  conscience.  We 
were  enabled  with  clearness  to  state  that  the  control 
of  the  conscience  is  a  prerogative  which  the  Lord  has 
reserved  in  His  own  hands;  to  Him  alone  it  belongs, 
by  His  Spirit  and  His  truth,  to  rule  in  the  hearts  of 
men ;  men  may  make  hypocrites,  constrain  them  to 
an  outward  profession,  but  they  cannot  convert  the 
heart.  Then  followed — what  constitutes  a  member 
of  the  church  of  Christ,  the  Christian  worship  and 
ministry — out  of  which  branched  an  allusion  to  the 
many  ceremonies  and  practices  that  have  found  a 
place  among  different  religious  denominations,  and  for 
which  there  is  no  authority  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
The  Archbishop  gave  unequivocal  assent  to  many  of 


MISSION  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPEAN  NATIONS.     133 

our  sentiments,  and  several  of  those  present  united  in 
the  same ;  some  requested  further  explanation.  They 
said  that  all  the  best  forms  and  outward  observances 
are  but  a  shadow  of  the  substance,  to  which  every 
true  Christian  is  to  gather ;  '  none  of  these  things,' 
said  the  Archbishop,  '  will  be  found  in  heaved  ;  but 
love,  which  should  be  universal  on  the  earth,  and  love 
to  God,  which  is  to  endure  for  ever,  will  prevail  there.' 
When  we  came  to  the  dinner  table,  instead  of  sitting 
down  at  once,  the  company  stood  in  silence  behind  the 
chairs,  and  then,  without  uttering  a  word,  we  all  took 
our  seats.  I  was  seated  between  the  Archbishop  and 
his  wife,  and  took  the  opportunity  to  ask  him  respect- 
ing their  having  thus  stood  in  silence  before  sitting 
down.  He  said  that  it  is  his  regular  practice  in  his 
family ;  he  considers  it  much  preferable  to  the  formal 
habit  of  uttering  set  prayers,  which  often  the  heart 
does  not  feel ;  but  that  in  silence  there  is  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  heart  to  feel  after  and  receive  a  qualifi- 
cation for  secret  prayer  to  God.  During  dinner  he 
made  several  inquiries  tending  to  edification.  I  felt 
my  mind  strongly  drawn,  in  the  love  of  Christ,  to- 
wards the  company  with  whom  we  had  been  thus 
unexpectedly  brought  to  mingle,  and  I  was  waiting 
for  a  suitable  opportunity  to  express  what  I  felt  to- 
wards them,  when,  after  dinner,  they  all  rose  and 
placed  themselves  again,  as  before  dinner,  behind 
their  chairs,  and  so  continued  for  a  while  in  siience. 
I  then  believed  it  was  the  proper  time  to  communicate 
what  I  felt  to  be  the  Lord's  message  to  them.  Much 
seriousness  and  solemnity  prevailed ;   and,  before  we 


184  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

separated,  the  Archbishop  expressed  his  gratitude  that 
he  and  his  brethren  had  had  such  an  opportunity  to 
be  with  us,  and  he  desired  that  the  Lord  might 
prosper  and  bless  the  work  to  which  He  has  called 
us,  and  bring  us  to  the  knowledge  of  thousands  of  His 
faithful  servants  in  the  nations  whereto  He  is  sending 
us,  and  finally,  by  His  redeeming  grace,  enable  us  to 
meet  all  together  in  the  kingdom  of  His  dear  Son, 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  whole  of  this  was  ex- 
pressed in  French,  which  the  company  understood." 

It  was  the  habit  of  the  two  travellers  to  invite  to 
their  lodgings  in  every  place  persons  who  desired  to 
join  them  in  religious  exercises.  When  they  called 
on  merchants  with  letters  of  introduction  they  entered 
on  religious  conversation  and  left  books.  In  the  streets 
where  the  poor  live,  they  would  address  little  assem- 
blies of  from  forty  to  fifty  persons.  As  they  rested 
for  the  night  in  crossing  hills,  they  would  interest  their 
fellow-travellers  by  reading  hymns.  They  readily  ob- 
tained access  to  orphanages,  and  sat  with  fatherly  love 
and  wisdom  among  the  boys  and  girls.  At  Stockholm 
Lord  Strangford,  the  Ambassador,  went  forth  to  meet 
them.  In  other  cities  they  were  received  by  officers 
of  the  army,  and  by  judges,  to  whom  they  bore  an 
appropriate  testimony.  In  such  labors  they  passed 
on  to  Russia. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA. 

BEFORE  giving  extracts  from  Mr.  Grellet's  Jour- 
nal at  a  deeply  interesting  period  of  his  mission, 
it  may  give  us  a  better  insight  into  his  character  if  a 
reference  be  made  to  what  Mr.  Allen  says  respecting 
him  in  his  Autobiography.  "  Nothing  can  exceed," 
he  says,  "  dear  Stephen's  kindness  and  care  of  me." 
"  In  his  own  kind,  tender,  and  suitable  way,  Stephen 
spoke  to  persons  high  and  low."  He  refers  also  to 
Mr.  Grellet's  "  sweet  and  solemn  supplications,"  at  all 
seasons,  and  in  all  emergencies.  Mr.  Allen  was  speci- 
ally engaged  in  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  and 
the  advance  of  popular  education,  and  into  these  two 
objects  Mr.  Grellet  entered  warmly,  while  nothing 
was  allowed  to  divert  him  from  his  work  of  benevo- 
lence and  ministering  the  gospel  of  God. 

"Petersburg:  14th  of  Eleventh  Month,  1818.  We 
delivered  letters  that  we  had  for  several  persons.  It 
brought  us  to  an  acquaintance  with  some  who  mani- 
fest kindness  towards  us,  and  through  whose  medium 
we  have  obtained  convenient  private  lodgings,  at  the 
house  of  an  English  woman,  widow  of  a  Russian  officer. 
We  find  in  Samuel  Stansfield,  a  young  Friend  from 
Sheffield,  settled  here  in  mercantile  pursuits,  an  agree- 
(135) 


136  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

able  and  useful  companion.  We  have  reason  to  believe 
that  his  conduct  is  consistent  with  his  religious  pro- 
fession. Daniel  Wheeler  and  family  reside  at  Ochta, 
a  few  miles  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  Neva.  They 
came  to  Russia  some  months  since.  The  Emperor 
Alexander  had  employed  some  persons  to  drain  exten- 
sive morasses  near  this  city;  but  they  did  not  under- 
stand their  business,  and  sought  only  to  make  money, 
so  that  under  various  pretences  they  expended  con- 
siderable sums ;  which  induced  the  Emperor,  after  his 
return  from  England,  to  desire,  if  possible,  to  have  a 
member  of  our  Society  to  undertake  the  management 
of  such  works,  believing  that  he  could  rely  on  the 
faithfulness  and  uprightness  of  such  persons ;  and  he 
wished  also  to  have  near  him  a  man  of  religious  prin- 
ciples, whose  example  might  have  a  good  influence  on 
others.  In  consequence  he  wrote  to  the  Prince 
Lieven,  his  ambassador  in  London,  who  consulted 
with  William  Allen.  During  that  period  our  dear 
friend  Daniel  Wheeler,  who  resided  at  Sheffield,  had 
felt  strong  drawings  of  gospel  love  towards  Russia; 
though  he  did  not  feel  called  upon  to  go  to  travel  as 
a  gospel  minister,  he  yet  thought  that  it  was  a  sense 
of  religious  duty  that  prompted  him  to  go  to  that 
nation.  He  was  brought  under  very  deep  exercise 
and  conflict  of  mind ;  when,  hearing  of  the  desire  of 
the  Emperor  that  a  member  of  our  Society  would 
undertake  the  draining  of  those  morasses,  Daniel  felt 
immediately  that  it  was  for  this  very  object  that  his 
mind  had  been  preparing,  and  in  due  time  he  removed 
here  with  his  family.     He  holds  religious  meetings 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  13? 

regularly  twice  a  week,  in  his  own  house.  His  public 
work  is  one  of  great  progress. 

"  15th,  First  Day.  We  were  prevented  by  the 
severity  of  the  weather,  and  other  obstacles,  from 
attempting  to  cross  the  Neva,  so  as  to  attend  the 
little  meeting  at  Ochta,  with  Daniel  Wheeler  and 
family ;  but  dear  Allen  and  myself  sat  down  together, 
as  usual,  to  wait  upon  the  Lord.  This  has  been  our 
daily  practice  since  we  left  England,  and  mostly  twice 
a  day;  we  have  not  been  prevented  by  travelling,  often 
finding  our  carriage  like  a  little  sanctuary,  where  the 
Lord's  presence  has  been  near,  and  our  spirits  con- 
trited  and  refreshed  by  Him.  This  day  our  dear 
Redeemer  has  again  condescended  very  graciously  to 
be  near  us,  and  to  hear  the  secret  but  fervent  language 
of  our  supplications ;  for  we  have  been  brought  very 
low  since  our  arrival  here.  He  has  mercifully  con- 
firmed us  in  the  faith  that  we  have  come  into  this 
empire  by  His  Divine  appointment,  and  that  He  will 
be  our  all-sufficient  guide  and  helper  for  the  work  He 
may  call  us  to,  and  also  our  almighty  protector  under 
whatever  trials  may  overtake  us ;  if  we,  on  our  part, 
follow  the  putting  forth  of  His  spirit  with  Singleness 
of  heart  and  faithfulness. 

"  1 7th.  We  visited,  yesterday,  several  persons  for 
whom  we  had  letters ;  a  few  of  these  are  of  sober  and 
serious  minds.  The  Count  Lieven,  elder  brother  of 
of  the  ambassador  in  London,  came  to  see  us;  his 
family  are  Protestants;  they  are  from  Livonia.  He 
is  at  present  under  deep  affliction ;  his  wife,  who  was 
a  pious  woman,  died  a  week  since ;  and  his  eldest  son, 


138  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

with  the  other  members  of  his  family,  have  gone  to 
accompany  her  remains  to  Livonia,  to  be  buried  on 
his  estates  there.  Feeling  much  for  the  Count  in  his 
bereaved  state,  we  went  to  see  him  to-day.  His  only 
daughter  was  with  him ;  they  are  in  a  tender  state  of 
mind,  prepared  to  receive  the  consolations  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  There  were  some  other  young  per- 
sons present,  and  we  had  a  very  precious  season 
before  the  Lord;  their  hearts  were  tendered.  The 
Count  appears  to  have  been  for  years  a  man  of  piety ; 
he  knows,  therefore,  where  to  flee  for  help  and  conso- 
lation in  time  of  affliction.  Among  those  who  extend 
great  kindness  to  us,  and  are  helpful  in  many  respects, 
are  John  Venning  and  Walter  his  brother.  They  are 
benevolent  men,  and  spend  much  of  their  time  in 
doing  good. 

"  19th.  We  visited  the  Prince  Alexander  Galitzin, 
prime  minister  of  the  Emperor.  The  Prince  received 
us  with  an  open  heart ;  he  was  prepared  thus  to  wel- 
come us,  as  the  Emperor  had  given  him  an  account 
of  the  visit  we  paid  him  when  in  London.  'The 
Emperor,'  said  he,  '  is  not  here  at  present,  and  it  will 
be  some  weeks  before  his  return ;  but  here  is  a  letter 
I  have  just  received  from  him,  in  which  he  says  you 
were  soon  expected  to  arrive  in  Petersburg,  and  he 
charges  me  to  treat  you  as  his  friends,  and  to  detain 
you  here  till  his  return.'  The  Prince  inquired  into 
the  nature  of  our  religious  prospects,  and  how  he 
could  in  anywise  assist  us.  We  gave  him  our  certifi- 
cates, the  reading  of  which  pleased  him  much.  In 
the  love   of   Christ  towards  them  I  communicated  a 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  139 

little  out  of  the  overflowing  of  my  soul.  Before  we 
separated,  the  Prince  kindly  offered  us  free  access  to 
whatever  place  we  might  feel  ourselves  disposed  to 
visit,  prisons,  poorhouses,  etc. 

"  We  went  to  see  the  Princess  Metchersky.  She  is 
a  woman  of  superior  mental  abilities,  greatly  improved 
and  directed  to  the  right  channel  for  usefulness  by  the 
grace  and  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  As  she  is 
well  acquainted  with  several  languages — French,  En- 
glish, German,  etc., — she  has  been  much  engaged  in 
translating  several  works  and  religious  tracts  into  the 
Russian  language ;  she  has  them  printed  and  widely 
circulated  in  this  vast  empire.  She  was  an  instrument 
in  the  Lord's  hands  in  fostering  religious  impressions 
in  the  mind  of  the  Emperor,  when  he  first  came 
under  the  powerful  convictions  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth. 
As  a  proof  that  the  Emperor  is  in  the  daily  practice 
of  reading  the  Scriptures,  she  stated  to  us  that  some 
years  since  they  agreed  to  begin  to  read  the  Bible  at 
the  same  time,  one  chapter  of  the  Old  Testament  in 
the  morning,  and  another  of  the  New  Testament  in 
the  evening,  that,  however  far  separated,  they  might 
both  every  day  read  the  same  chapter ;  and  as  they 
correspond,  the  Emperor  in  his  letters  often  alludes  to 
the  particular  religious  impressions  made  on  his  mind 
by  his  reading  that  day;  by  which  she  knows  that  he 
continues  the  practice.  He  wishes  her  to  translate 
and  print  the  excellent  work  of  William  Penn,  called 
'  No  Cross,  No  Crown ; '  believing  that  it  would  be 
highly  beneficial,  especially  to  those  of  high  rank  in 
the  Empire.     Our  next  visit  was  to  the  Minister  of  the 


140  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Interior ;  his  wife  is  seriously  disposed,  as  also  appears 
to  be  the  Princess  Shabatoff,  who  resides  with  them. 

"  9th.  Yesterday  r.nd  to-day  have  been  under  sore 
distress  from  what  we  have  seen  and  felt  in  the  abodes 
of  wretchedness  anc  misery.  The  prison  near  the 
Admiralty  is  so  filthy,  and  the  air  so  impure,  that  it 
much  affected  body  and  mind.  The  prisoners,  by 
their  emaciated  countenances,  show  that  they  also 
suffer  by  it.  Ten  of  them  were  fastened,  two  and  two, 
to  a  long  chain,  marching  out  to  Siberia;  what  suffer- 
ings must  these  poor  creatures  have  to  endure,  during 
so  long  a  journey,  to  be  performed  on  foot,  and  in  the 
severity  of  a  winter  like  this !  May  the  Lord  be 
pleased  to  open  our  way,  in  due  time,  to  plead  for  so 
many  sufferers,  that  their  distress  may  be  relieved. 
Among  other  places,  we  visited  the  houses  of  correc- 
tion (it  should  rather  be  houses  of  misery),  poorhouses, 
and  also  their  great  hospital.  To  some  of  these  poor 
sufferers  we  were  enabled  to  administer  the  consola- 
tions of  the  gospel,  and  we  found  broken  and  contrite 
spirits  prepared  to  receive  our  testimony. 

"  14th.  Our  engagements  have  continued  to  be 
among  the  poor,  and  in  visiting  several  schools.  The 
Prince  Alexander  has  encouraged  us  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Michael,  the  Metropolitan  of  the  Greek  Church,  and 
kindly  offered  to  make  way  for  it.  We  accordingly 
went  to  his  residence  this  afternoon.  The  monastery 
is  called  '  Alexander  Nevsky.'  It  is  about  three  miles 
out  of  town,  and  is  a  great  mass  of  buildings.  The 
Metropolitan,  to  receive  us  simply  attired  Quakers, 
had  put  on  his  rich  pontifical  garments;  under  his 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  R  USSIA  141 

large  purple  robe  was  a  richly  embroidered  garment ; 
he  had  on  his  head  a  white  tiara  or  mitre,  on  the  front 
of  which  was  a  cross  made  of  emeralds,  diamonds, 
and  other  precious  stones ;  from  a  golden  chain  on 
his  neck  hung  a  fine  picture  of  one  of  their  saints, 
and  in  his  hands  was  a  large  string  of  amber  beads. 
He  received  us  with  much  affability,  and  made  us  sit 
down  by  him;  he  soon  began  to  inquire  of  our  re- 
ligious principles  and  practices,  and  much  approved 
of  our  reasons  for  not  conforming  to  the  compliments, 
language,  and  fashions  of  the  world ;  the  account  we 
gave  him  of  the  Christian  discipline  exercised  over  the 
members  of  our  society  pleased  him  much;  he  in- 
quired also  into  our  manner  of  conducting  our  religious 
worship;  our  care  and  practice  in  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  our  ministers,  and  what  object  they  have  in 
going  abroad  in  the  service  of  the  gospel.  We  gave 
him  the  perusal  of  our  certificates  ;  he  then  said  that 
he  had  not  heard  of  any  people  acting  on  grounds  so 
scriptural,  and  conformable  to  ancient  apostolic  prac- 
tice. We  could  not  help,  in  allusion  to  some  of  the 
subjects  that  were  treated  upon,  contrasting  his  rich 
attire  with  our  simple  one,  and  their  pompous  way  of 
worship  with  the  simplicity  of  ours.  We  made  several 
attempts  to  withdraw,  but  he  evidently  wished  to  have 
further  conversation  with  us;  ordered  tea  to  be  brought 
in ;  and  finally,  on  parting,  he  accompanied  us  to  the 
door  of  the  outer  room,  and,  taking  us  by  the  hand, 
desired  that  we  might  remember  one  another  in  our 
prayers. 

"  We  went  thence  to  see  Philaret,  who  is  an  Arch* 


142  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

bishop  and  Vicar  of  the  Metropolitan.  His  habitation 
is  also  in  the  monastery.  His  apartment  is  of  great 
simplicity,  like  the  cell  of  a  monk ;  the  little  furniture 
in  it  corresponds  therewith  ;  his  dress  is  the  same  that 
the  Greek  clergy  have  worn  for  several  ages— a  black 
gown,  ecclesiastic  cap  on  his  head,  a  long  beard,  and 
his  long  hair  hanging  on  his  shoulders.  He  is  a  man 
of  learning,  acquainted  with  most  of  the  ancient  and 
modern  oriental  languages;  but  he  bears  the  marks 
of  great  humility,  and  is  considered  a  man  of  piety 
and  spiritual  mindedness.  From  what  passed  during 
the  long  opportunity  we  had  with  him,  he  deserves 
such  a  character.  He  stated  that  the  knowledge  of 
ancient  languages  may  facilitate  the  understanding 
of  the  words  written,  but  that  the  Spirit  of  God  alone 
can  give  a  right  knowledge  of  the  things  of  God;  for 
they  can  only  be  spiritually  discerned.  In  a  very 
modest  manner,  he  said  that  he  should  wish  to  know 
why  we  declined  the  practice,  so  general  among  the 
Christian  churches,  of  partaking  of  the  communion, 
or,  as  he  called  it,  the  eucharist.  After  stating  to  him 
what  we  apprehend  constitutes  the  real  Christian, 
according  to  the  definition  given  in  the  Scriptures,  '  If 
any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature/  we  de- 
scribed what  this  new  birth  or  new  man  is ;  then  we 
proceeded  to  answer  his  question,  showing  what  bread, 
living  bread,  the  Christian  is  to  feed  upon — in  reality 
and  not  in  shadows ;  that  to  live  on  Christ,  through 
His  Spirit,  is  the  only  living  bread  of  the  soul ;  it  is 
the  only  food  that  nourishes  it  unto  eternal  life.  On 
which  he  said :  '  We  have  had  hermits  amongst  us, 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  143 

who,  from  various  causes,  have  lived  entirely  secluded 
from  the  world,  to  whom  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  participate  in  the  outward  communion  of  bread  and 
wine,  or  in  any  of  the  ceremonies  in  the  worship  of 
God  or  other  like  practices,  but  who,  nevertheless,  in 
their  solitude  did  really  feed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
by  His  Spirit,  through  living  faith  in  Him ;  they  had 
no  places  of  worship  to  resort  to,  no  man  to  minister 
to  them,  but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Minister  of 
the  Sanctuary,  was  their  minister,  and  their  worship 
was  in  spirit  and  in  truth.'  Philaret  further  said :  'All 
these  forms,  ceremonies,  and  ordinances,  that  have 
been  introduced  into  the  churches,  though  they  be 
performed  with  ever  so  much  sincerity  and  devotion, 
can  only  be,  as  the  law  was  to  the  Jews,  "  a  school- 
master to  bring  us  to  Christ."  He  is  the  end  of  all 
these  things  and  their  substance.'  Philaret  has  been 
a  useful  instrument  of  much  improvement  among  the 
clergy.  The  Emperor,  who  knows  his  worth,  places 
great  confidence  in  him;  to  him,  therefore,  is  com- 
mitted chiefly  the  selection  of  suitable  persons,  best 
qualified  by  their  piety  to  fill  important  places  in  the 
Greek  church,  and  at  the  head  of  their  large  schools. 
These  are  chiefly  composed  of  the  sons  of  the  clergy; 
they  pass  from  these  schools  to  the  clerical  office,  or 
stations  in  the  civil  department ;  every  one  intended 
for  the  priesthood  must  marry  before  he  can  be  or- 
dained ;  but  when  he  loses  his  wife  by  death,  he  can- 
not marry  another ;  if  he  chooses,  he  can  retire  to  a 
monastery,  and   thus   become   eligible  for  a  higher 


144  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

station  in  the  church  than  simply  that  of  a  priest 
The  monks  do  not  marry. 

"  22d.  We  have  had  various  religious  opportuni- 
ties. Some  of  these  were  held  at  our  lodgings,  where 
Skotchinsky  has  brought  several  pious  persons  like 
himself.  They  are  wearied  out  with  their  forms  and 
ceremonies,  and  seek  after  the  substantial  realities  of 
religion.  Some  of  them  speak  German,  and  have 
gratefully  received  religious  tracts  in  that  language. 
We  have  visited  several  of  these  people  in  their  fami- 
lies. They  are  mostly  in  humble  life,  and  perhaps 
better  prepared  to  receive  the  simple  truths  of  the 
gospel  with  readiness.  There  are  some,  nevertheless, 
of  a  higher  rank  whose  hearts  appear  broken  down  by 
the  power  of  Truth.  This  day  we  had  an  agreeable 
visit  from  Reichel,  a  Moravian  bishop,  who,  with  his 
wife  and  daughter,  are  on  their  way  to  Sarepta,  on  the 
Caspian  Sea.  He  appears  to  be  an  humble  and  pious 
man. 

"  23d.  Spent  some  time  at  the  Senator  Hablitz's, 
for  the  second  time.  He  was  ambassador  to  Persia 
for  several  years,  and  has  returned  in  very  poor  health. 
He  now  feels  much  more  concerned  to  seek  after  the 
things  pertaining  to  his  soul's  salvation  than  the  poli- 
tics of  this  world,  in  which  he  had  been  absorbed  for 
many  years  of  his  life.  We  were  met  there  by  Skotch- 
insky, who  is  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  noble 
families  of  this  empire.  He  takes  great  interest  in 
prisons  and  schools,  and  he  wished  to  hear  our  obser- 
vations on  our  visits  to  those  places.  We  hope  he 
may  be  of  service  towards  the  removal  of  some  of  the 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  145 

great  miseries  that  we  have  beheld  in  many  of  these 
places." 

At  this  c.me  Mr.  Grellet  writes  to  Mr.  William 
Dillwyn. 

"Petersburg,  23d  of  Twelfth  Month,  1818. 

H  This  is  a  great  place,  the  capital  of  a  great  empire; 
though  we  see  that  much  is  to  be  done,  and  that  there 
is  an  open  door  with  many  precious  minds,  I  have 
never  entertained  any  prospect  of  our  doing  great 
things ;  yet  I  rejoice  in  the  humble  station  of  a  waterer. 
Divine  aid  is  afforded  to  diffuse  a  few  of  the  drops  that 
He  Himself  first  puts  into  the  vessel,  over  some  of  His 
precious  and  thirsty  plants,  to  whose  acquaintance  He 
brings  us.  From  the  accounts  some  may  have  of  our 
often  meeting  with  great  and  public  characters,  and  of 
the  open  door  that  the  dear  Master  has  been  pleased 
to  set  before  us  in  many  of  them,  they  may  conclude 
that  we  ride  about  on  the  king's  horse ;  but,  from  the 
exalted  state  in  which  Mordecai  appeared  placed,  he 
saw  and  felt  full  well  the  humble  station  he  must 
speedily  resume.  Though  there  is  an  outside  washing 
and  anointing,  yet  the  sackcloth  may  remain  under- 
neath ;  and,  as  to  myself,  I  see  very  little  prospect  of 
its  being  loosened  from  my  loins  so  long  as  I  continue 
in  this  mutable  state.  But  do  not  conclude  from  this 
that  I  repine  in  any  degree,  as  complaining  of  my 
allotted  portion ;  for  contrariwise,  I  may  even  now,  as 
frequently,  through  the  mournful  days  of  my  pilgrim- 
age, 'with  the  voice  of  thanksgivings  and  praises 
publish  the  Lord's  wondrous  works,'  They  have  been 
marvellously  displayed    on  our  behalf,  poor  solitary 


146  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

pair  as  we  often  feel  to  be,  when  going  from  city  to 
city  and  from  nation  to  nation." 

The  Journal  proceeds : 

"  24th.  My  beloved  friend,  William  Allen,  being 
unwell,  I  went  alone  to  Ochta,  to  attend  the  meeting 
there.  I  walked  the  whole  distance,  going  and  return- 
ing, and  enjoyed  the  retirement  of  the  walk;  the 
blessed  Master  condescended,  in  mercy,  to  be  with  me 
in  the  way,  and  to  enable  me  to  renew  my  covenant 
with  Him.  He  has  also  renewed  my  faith  in  His 
promise  that  He  would  lead  me  and  protect  me  in  the 
path  of  duty.  Our  meeting  at  Ochta  was  owned  by 
His  Divine  presence.  We  are  permitted  to  have  many 
seasons  of  refreshment  from  the  Lord  with  our  dear 
friend  Daniel  Wheeler  and  his  family.  Our  fellowship 
of  spirit  is  sweet.  This  evening  I  spent  a  little  time 
at  Count  Lieven's  with  his  family,  which  leaves  a 
precious  savor  on  my  mind. 

"  28th.  We  have  passed,  this  morning,  about  two 
hours  with  prince  Alexander  Galitzin,  which  we  gene- 
rally do  every  Second- day  morning,  from  nine  to 
eleven  o'clock,  for  the  purpose  of  religious  retirement, 
and  to  wait  together  on  the  Lord;  or  for  mutual 
religious  edification.  We  have  also  frequent  seasons 
of  this  sort  with  the  Princess  Metchersky,  her  sister 
the  Princess  Sophia,  and  several  others,  both  those  in 
high  rank  and  of  the  poorer  class.  The  Lord  is 
no  respecter  of  persons ;  He  is  good  to  all  that  seek 
Him,  and  to  all  that  call  upon  Him. 

"  31st.  We  had  a  visit  from  five  pious  persons ;  one 
is  called  a  General.     Three  of  them  appear  to  be  men 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  147 

of  meek  and  quiet  spirits,  who  have  withdrawn  from 
outward  forms  of  worship  and  ceremonies,  and  seek 
for  God  in  the  temple  of  their  hearts.  We  had  a 
satisfactory  time  together. 

"Ninth  of  First  Month,  1819.  The  last  few  days 
we  have  been  very  closely  engaged  in  visiting  various 
extensive  public  institutions,  mostly  under  the  care  of 
the  Empress- mother.  Among  these  are  retreats  for 
poor  widows ;  hospitals ;  a  deaf  and  dumb  establish- 
ment, an  institution  for  about  two  thousand  children, 
where  every  care  in  a  moral  and  physical  sense  appears 
to  be  bestowed.  The  foundling  hospital  is  also  on  a 
very  extensive  scale ;  at  a  proper  age  the  children  are 
well  instructed ;  some  receive  a  complete  education, 
others  learn  a  variety  of  useful  trades  In  these  visits 
we  were  accompanied  by  Prince  Galitzin,  uncle  of 
Prince  Alexander.  He  has  the  general  oversight  of 
all  these  institutions  of  the  Empress  mother,  and  has 
readily  made  way  for  our  having  religious  opportuni- 
ties whenever  we  felt  it  our  duty. 

"nth.  The  Emperor,  who  was  absent,  has  now 
returned  to  Petersburg,  and  sends  us  word  by  the 
Prince  Alexander  Galitzin  that,  as  soon  as  he  can 
make  way  for  it,  he  wishes  to  see  us. 

"  15th.  Accompanied  by  Skotchinsky,  we  visited 
some  poor  pious  families,  among  whom  we  have  found 
Christian  faith  exemplified.  We  had  also  a  solemn 
season  with  a  young  man,  who,  constrained  by  Divine 
love,  has  left  bright  prospects  in  the  world  to  go  as  a 
missionary  to  Siberia;  he  feels  much  for  the  prisoners 
sent  there,  and  for  the  pagan  nations  thereabouts ;  he 


148  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

is  now  endeavoring  to  acquire  their  language,  and  has 
begun  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  to  take 
with  him ;  it  is  to  be  printed  at  the  Bible  House  here, 
where  they  have  in  the  press,  or  are  preparing  to  print, 
the  Scriptures  in  twenty-eight  different  languages. 

"  On  our  return  to  our  lodgings  we  found  a  mes- 
senger from  the  Emperor  waiting  for  us,  with  the 
information  that  he  would  receive  a  visit  from  us  at 
six  this  evening.  At  the  hour  appointed  another 
messenger  came  to  show  us  the  way  to  the  private 
apartments  of  the  Emperor.  We  found  him  alone, 
and  he  received  us  with  great  affability,  'Like  old 
friends,'  he  said.  He  made  us  sit  down  on  a  sofa  on 
each  side  of  him,  and  recurred  feelingly  to  the  visit 
we  paid  him  in  London,  by  which,  he  said,  his  mind 
was  encouraged  and  strengthened  under  the  trying 
Circumstances  then  attending  him.  He  made  many 
inquiries  of  a  religious  character,  which  evinced  his 
concern  to  obtain  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  blessed 
Truth  ;  he  has  a  good  understanding  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  clear  views  of  that  salvation  which  is  through  faith 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  whose  grace  and  merits 
alone  he  trusts.  The  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
a  subject  on  which  he  appears  to  delight  to  dwell, 
being,  as  he  calls  it,  one  of  the  corner  stones  of  the 
Christian  religion,  for  if  a  man  has  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  he  is  none  of  His;  and  if  the  things  of  God 
can  only  be  known  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  then  what 
hope  of  salvation  can  a  man  have  who  disregards  that 
Spirit?  He  inquired  of  the  nature  of  our  various 
religious  engagements  since  we  had  come  into  Russia, 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  ,  149 

and  in  what  state  we  had  found  the  public  establish- 
ments, particularly  the  prisons.  We  were  glad  to 
have  the  opportunity  to  acquaint  him  with  the  wretched 
situation  of  several  of  these,  and  of  the  poorhouses 
also.  We  alluded  especially  to  the  prison  at  Abo; 
we  showed  him  the  sketch,  taken  there,  of  a  man  with 
his  fetters  upon  him.  The  Emperor  was  much  affected, 
and  said,  'These  things  ought  not  to  be ;  they  shall 
not  continue  so.'  We  also  represented  the  case  of  the 
man  there  who  had  borne  these  heavy  chains  eighteen 
years  for  having  threatened,  in  an  unguarded  moment, 
to  strike  his  mother.  The  Emperor  appears  to  be 
much  interested  in  the  subject  of  public  education ;  we 
therfore  told  him  of  the  visit  we  made  to  the  Lancas- 
trian school,  and  how  greatly  pained  we  had  been  in 
noticing  there,  and  at  the  printing  office,  that  their 
lessons  were  a  selection  of  sentiments  calculated  to 
demoralize  the  people,  and  bring  them  into  a  far  worse 
state  than  that  in  which  their  ignorance  places  them 
at  present ;  that,  on  this  account,  we  had  been  induced 
to  begin  to  prepare  a  selection  from  the  Scriptures, 
under  the  name  of  '  Scripture  Lessons,'  and  we  gave 
him  an  outline  of  the  contents  of  the  little  work.  The 
Emperor  remained  a  few  moments  absorbed  in  thought- 
fulness,  and  then  said:  *  You  have  done  the  very  thing 
that  I  was  anxious  should  be  done ;  I  had  for  a  long 
time  been  contemplating  how  that  mighty  engine, 
general  public  education,  might  be  used  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  by  bringing  the 
people  to  the  knowledge  of  the  dear  Redeemer,  and 


150  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

to  the  practice  of  Christian  virtues ;  send  me  imme- 
diately what  you  have  prepared.' 

"  The  Emperor  spoke  in  strong  terms  of  his  regard 
for  Daniel  Wheeler,  and  considered  his  coming  to 
Russia  a  blessing  to  the  people.  '  It  was  not,'  he  said, 
'  the  cultivation  of  morasses,  nor  any  outward  object, 
that  led  me  to  wish  to  have  some  of  your  Friends 
come  and  settle  here,  but  a  desire  that,  by  their  genuine 
piety  and  uprightness  in  life  and  conversation,  an 
example  may  be  set  before  my  people .  for  them  to 
imitate;  and  your  friend  Wheeler  sets  such  an  ex- 
ample.' After  this  he  said,  '  Before  we  separate  for 
the  present,  let  us  spend  a  short  time  in  religious  re- 
tirement together.'  We  were  disposed  to  do  so,  for 
we  felt  the  Lord's  presence  and  power  very  near ;  we 
continued  for  a  time  in  solemn  silence ;  our  spirits 
were  contrited  together ;  after  a  while,  feeling  my 
mind  clothed  with  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion, I  bowed  before  the  Divine  Majesty  on  my  knees, 
the  Emperor  kneeled  by  my  side  ;  we  had  a  grateful 
sense  that  the  Lord  condescended  graciously  to  hear 
our  prayers.  When  we  retired  the  Emperor  expressed 
a  desire  shortly  to  see  us  again.  We  were  about  two 
hours  with  him. 

"  1 3th.  Our  departure  appearing  to  be  at  hand  has 
brought  us  under  very  close  engagements  during  these 
last  days ;  we  have  had  many  services  of  a  public  and 
more  private  character  ;  some  of  these  partings,  which 
most  probably  are  a  final  separation  from  one  another, 
have  been  very  solemn  ;  we  rejoice  that  we  can  enter- 
tain the  hope,  that  we  leave  behind  us  a  seed  that  the 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  151 

Lord  has  visited.  Many  of  our  private  opportunities 
are  also  tendering  seasons ;  the  one  we  had  this  eve- 
ning with  the  Emperor  was  particularly  so.  Having 
sent  us  information  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  see  us, 
we  went  at  the  hour  appointed.  He  again  received 
us  in  his  own  apartment,  to  which  we  went  by  a  private 
door  and  staircase,  without  passing  among  the  guards, 
or  the  persons  attending  at  the  palace.  He  received 
us  with  cordiality  as  before.  One  of  the  first  things 
he  said  was  that  the  chains  we  saw  on  the  prisoners  at 
Abo  were  now  removed,  and  that  the  man  we  had  told 
him  of,  who  had  been  eighteen  years  loaded  with  fet- 
ters, was  now  liberated,  and  orders  were  given  for  the 
better  treatment  of  the  prisoners  generally.  He  re- 
quested also  that,  in  the  course  of  our  visit  through 
Russia,  we  would  communicate  directly  to  him  what- 
ever we  might  notice  in  the  prisons,  or  other  places, 
that  we  might  think  proper  to  bring  before  him.  The 
Military  Governor  had  related  to  him  what  we  had 
said  of  the  improvements  that  might  be  made  in  the 
prisons  in  Petersburg,  and  he  was  pleased  that  the 
Governor  had  so  speedily  attended  to  it;  he  added 
that  the  Empress,  his  mother,  had  given  him  some 
relation  of  the  visit  we  had  made  to  her,  with  which 
she  had  been  very  much  pleased.  She  told  him  what 
had  been  said  respecting  the  neglected  education  of 
the  daughters  of  the  poor,  which  she  had  taken  much 
to  heart,  and  he  also  felt  so  much  the  necessity  of  a 
speedy  remedy,  that  yesterday  he  made  appropriation 
of  money  sufficient  to  establish  and  support  six  schools 
for  that  class  in  this  city,  so  that  they  might  receive  a, 


152  STEPHEN  OREL  LET. 

virtuous  and  religious  education.  He  said  he  had 
carefully  looked  over  the  Scripture  Lessons  that  we 
had  prepared,  and  was  delighted  with  them ;  that  had 
we  come  to  Russia  for  no  other  service  than  this,  it 
was  accomplishing  an  important  work ;  that  he  would 
have  these  Lessons  introduced  for  the  use  of  all  the 
schools  in  his  dominions.  He  also  gave  us  an  account 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  was  educated  from  a  child, 
under  the  care  of  his  grandmother,  the  Empress 
Catherine.  The  tutors  placed  over  him,  he  says,  were 
men  possessed  of  some  good  qualities,  but  they  were 
not  Christian  believers,  consequently  his  early  educa- 
tion was  calculated  to  estrange  him  from  serious  im- 
pressions ;  and  yet,  after  the  manner  of  the  Greek 
Church,  he  was  trained  up  in  the  habit  of  repeating 
some  formal  prayers  morning  and  evening,  but  he 
disliked  the  practice  of  it ;  several  times,  however,  after 
having  gone  to  rest,  he  so  strongly  felt  the  convictions 
of  sin  for  the  impropriety  of  some  parts  of  his  conduct 
during  the  day,  that  he  was  constrained  to  rise  from 
his  bed,  and  on  his  knees  with  tears  to  entreat  the 
Lord's  forgiveness,  and  strength  to  act  with  more 
watchfulness.  These  strong  convictions  continued 
with  him  for  a  length  of  time ;  but,  by  degrees,  for 
want  of  attending  to  them,  they  became  more  and 
more  faint;  with  dissipation,  sin  gained  more  and  more 
ascendency  over  him ;  but  in  the  year  1812  the  Lord's 
visitation  in  love  and  mercy  was  renewedly  extended 
to  him  in  a  powerful  manner.  It  was  about  that  time 
that  a  pious  person  (it  was  the  Prince  Alexander 
Galitzin,  who  had  been  brought  up  with  him)  recom- 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  R  USSIA .  1 53 

mended  him  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  gave  him  a 
Bible,  which  he  had  not  seen  before.  '  I  devoured  it,* 
said  the  Emperor,  '  finding  in  it  words  so  suitable  to, 
and  descriptive  of,  the  state  of  my  mind.  The  Lord 
by  His  Divine  Spirit  was  also  pleased  to  give  me  an 
understanding  of  what  I  read  therein;  it  is  to  this 
inward  Teacher  alone  that  I  am  indebted ;  therefore  I 
consider  Divine  inspiration,  or  the  teachings  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  as  the  sure  foundation  of  saving  knowl- 
edge.' 

"  He  said  much  more  on  these  subjects  in  a  feeling 
manner.  We  entered  pretty  fully  into  the  nature  of 
the  peaceable  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  to  what  the 
Spirit  of  the  dear  Redeemer,  who  is  Love,  would  lead 
all  those  who  are  obedient  to  His  dictates ;  on  which 
he  stated  how  great  his  soul's  travail  had  been  that 
wars  and  bloodshed  might  cease  for  ever  from  the 
earth ;  that  he  had  passed  sleepless  nights  on  account 
of  it,  deeply  deploring  the  woes  and  misery  brought 
on  humanity  by  war ;  and  that  whilst  his  mind  was 
bowed  before  the  Lord  in  prayer,  the  plan  of  all  the 
crowned  heads  joining  in  the  conclusion  to  submit  to 
arbitration  whatever  differences  might  arise  among 
them,  instead  of  resorting  to  the  sword,  had  presented 
itself  to  his  mind  in  such  a  manner  that  he  rose  from 
his  bed,  and  wrote  what  he  then  so  sensibly  felt;  that 
his  intentions  had  been  misunderstood  or  misrepre- 
sented by  some,  but  that  love  to  God  and  to  man  was 
his  only  motive  in  the  Divine  sight.  He  was  in 
Paris  at  the  time  he  formed  that  plan. 

"  We  had  spent  a  considerable  time  conversing  on 


151  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

these  very  important  subjects,  when  he  said,  '  We  are 
then  going  to  be  soon  separated  in  this  world,  but  I 
am  a  full  believer  that,  through  the  Lord's  Spirit,  we 
may,  though  separated  one  from  another,  feel  the  fel- 
lowship and  communion  of  spirit;  for  with  the  Lord 
there  is  no  limitation  of  space.'  He  requested  that  we 
would  write  to  him  as  a  Christian  friend,  through 
Prince  Alexander  Galitzin.  '  Finally,'  said  he,  *  I  have 
one  more  request  to  make,  that,  before  we  separate, 
we  silently  unite  once  more  in  waiting  on  the  Lord,  if 
so  be  that  He  condescend  to  give  us  a  manifestation 
of  His  Divine  Life  and  presence,  as  He  dkl  on  former 
occasions.'  We  were  prepared  to  accede  to  h is  request, 
for  we  felt  in  a  precious  manner  the  wings  of  heavenly 
love  to  be  stretched  over  us.  The  Lord  was  present 
during  a  solemn  silence  that  came  over  us ;  our  souls 
were  very  reverently  prostrated  before  Him ;  He  Him- 
self ministering  to  us  in  a  most  gracious  manner. 
After  a  while,  in  the  love  of  Christ,  I  felt  constrained 
to  impart  a  few  words  to  the  Emperor  for  his  encour- 
agement, that  he  may  hold  fast  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord  unto  the  end,  fully  relying  on  the  efficacy  of 
His  Divine  grace  to  preserve  him  from  all  evil,  and  to 
strengthen  him  for  every  good  work.  H?  was  bathed 
in  tears ;  then  dear  Allen,  on  bended  knees,  supplicated 
the  Lord  on  his  behalf  and  that  of  his  people.  The 
Emperor,  who  had  kneeled  by  him,  continued  some 
time  thus  prostrated,  after  William  had  ceased  utter- 
ance. It  is  very  humbling  and  wonderful  to  me,  to 
see  how  the  Lord  has  opened  a  way  in  these  nations 
where  I  saw  none  at  all ;  truly  the  promise,  '  the  Lord 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  R  USSIA.  155 

will  provide/  has  been  fulfilled  in  a  remarkable  man- 
ner; besides,  a  door,  towards  the  further  labors  of 
love  that  may  be  required  of  us  in  this  empire,  is  now 
open,  so  far  at  least  as  this  can  be  effected  by  the  good 
will  of  the  Emperor;  but  to  the  Lord  alone  we  must 
look  to  give  us  an  entrance  into  the  hearts  of  those 
we  may  visit,  to  send  forth  His  help  to  us,  and  His 
blessing  on  our  feeble  efforts  to  advocate  His  blessed 
Truth. 

"  1 5th.  Prince  Alexander  Galitzin  sent  us  a  message 
last  evening  that  the  Empress  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
the  Emperor,  wished  to  see  us  this  forenoon,  if  we 
could  possibly  spare  a  little  of  our  time  to  her.  We 
went  to  the  palace  this  morning,  and  she  received  us 
in  her  private  apartment  in  a  very  modest  manner, 
even  apologizing  for  her  request  to  us  to  come  to  see 
her;  she  had  for  some  time  wished  for  such  an  inter- 
view, but  had  been  fearful  to  propose  it ;  what  she  had 
heard  of  my  visit  at  Carlsruhe  made  her  regret  not  to 
have  seen  me  there ;  and  now  what  the  Emperor  told 
her  of  us  induced  her  to  request  this  visit.  Her  heart 
was  tender,  and  prepared  of  the  Lord  to  receive  what, 
in  His  love  and  counsel,  we  felt  it  to  be  our  religious 
duty  to  impart  to  her ;  she  was  bathed  in  tears.  From 
what  she  told  us  it  is  evident  that  Jesus,  the  Saviour, 
is  precious  to  her;  she  is  of  a  retired  character;  is 
seldom  seen  in  public  when  she  can  avoid  it ;  her  dress 
generally  is  very  simple ;  when  she  goes  out  she  has 
only  a  plain  two-horse  carriage,  with  the  simple  cipher 
E  upon  it,  whereas  all  the  nobles  have  generally  four 
horses  to  their  equipages ;  the    Empress-mother  has 


156  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

six.  The  Empress  Elizabeth  told  us  how  frequently 
she  envied  the  humble  station  in  life  of  those  maidens 
who  carry  the  milk  about  Petersburg,  in  order  that 
she  might  live  in  privacy  and  religious  retirement, 
which  she  has  not  in  her  power  to  do  now.  This  has 
been  a  very  satisfactory  visit. 

M  We  dined  at  John  Venning's ;  none  were  present 
besides  his  family,  and  Prince  Alexander  Galitzin, 
Papofif,  Paterson,  and  the  widow  of  a  pious  clergyman, 
who  is  now  the  companion  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth; 
through  the  Emperor  she  had  heard  we  were  to  dine 
here,  and  had  invited  herself,  as  she  said,  though  she 
is  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  Vennings'.  She  is  a  pious 
woman,  who  has  learned  both  in  the  school  of  affliction 
and  in  that  of  Christ ;  t"he  Empress  is  much  attached 
to  her.  The  Prince  gave  us  several  more  interesting 
particulars  respecting  the  Emperor;  among  others, 
the  peculiar  circumstances  attending  the  renewing  of 
those  religious  impressions  that  of  latter  years  have 
been  of  an  abiding  nature  with  him.  When  the 
information  was  received  at  Petersburg  that  the  armies 
of  Napoleon  had  entered  Moscow,  a  general  panic 
came  upon  the  inhabitants,  and  they  packed  up  their 
valuables  to  take  their  flight  into  some  more  secure 
place;  for  they  expected  the  French  would  soon 
march  for  that  city.  The  Emperor  was  preparing  to 
go  with  the  body  of  troops  collected  there  to  oppose 
them.  Prince  Alexander  Galitzin  had  at  that  time 
many  men  employed  in  repairing  his  palace,  which 
he  continued  calmly  to  go  on  with,  while  so  many 
others   were   panic  stricken.     Some  envious   persons 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  157 

told  the  Emperor  what  he  was  doing,  and  that  hj 
must  be  a  traitor.  He  went  to  the  Prince,  and  queried, 
1  Galitzin,  what  are  you  doing  ?  what  means  all  this  ? 
every  one  prepares  to  flee,  and  you  are  building?' 
'  Oh,'  said  the  Prince,  '  I  am  here  in  as  sure  a  place 
of  safety  as  any  I  could  flee  to  ;  the  Lord  is  my  defence, 
in  Him  I  trust.'  '  Whence  have  you  such  confidence?' 
replied  the  Emperor,  *  who  assures  you  of  it  ?'  'I  feel 
it  in  my  heart,'  answered  the  Prince,'  *  and  it  is  also 
stated  in  this  Divinely  inspired  volume' — holding 
forth  the  Bible  to  the  Emperor.  By  some  inadvertent 
motion  of  the  hand,  the  Bible  fell  upon  the  floor — open. 
'  Well,  permit  me,'  said  the  Prince,  *  to  read  to  you  in 
that  very  place  on  which  the  Bible  lies  open  before  us.' 
It  was  the  ninety-first  Psalm  ;  on  hearing  which,  the 
Emperor  stood  for  a  while  like  a  man  astonished.  The 
army,  during  that  time  was  marching  out  of  the  city. 
It  is  the  usual  practice  on  such  occasions,  or  when  the 
Emperor  is  to  be  absent  for  a  length  of  time,  that  the 
last  place  he  leaves  is  their  great  church.  He  repaired 
thither ;  the  portion  of  Scripture  read  on  the  occasion 
was  again  the  ninety-first  Psalm.  The  Emperor  sent 
for  the  priest,  and  queried,  *  Who  told  you  to  make 
choice  of  that  particular  passage  of  Scripture  this  day?' 
He  replied,  'That  nobody  had  told  him,  but  that  he 
had  desired  in  prayer  that  the  Lord  would  direct  him 
to  the  particular  portion  of  the  inspired  volume  he 
should  read,  to  encourage  the  Emperor,  and  that  he 
apprepended  that  psalm  was  the  word  of  the  Lord  to 
him.'  The  Emperor  proceeded  some  distance  on  his 
way ;  and  late  in  the  evening  he  felt  his  mind  under 


158  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

great  seriousness,  and  desired  that  the  Bible  should 
be  read  to  him.  When  the  person  who  came  in  for 
that  purpose  began,  he  also  read  the  ninety-first  Psalm. 
The  Emperor  interrupting  him  queried,  <Who  told 
you  to  read  this  ?  has  Galitzin  told  you  ?'  He  replied 
that  he  had  not  seen  the  Prince,  nor  had  any  one  told 
him  what  to  read ;  but  that  on  being  told  he  was  sent 
for  to  read  to  the  Emperor  from  the  Bible,  he  had  de- 
sired that  the  Lord  would  direct  him  to  what  was 
most  appropriate  for  the  occasion,  and  accordingly  he 
had  selected  this  portion  of  Scripture.  The  Emperor 
felt  astonished  at  this,  and  paid  the  greater  attention 
to  what  was  read,  believing  that  this  must  be  of  the 
Lord's  ordering ;  he  was  therefore  very  solemnly  and 
tenderly  impressed,  and  from  that  time  he  concluded, 
morning  and  evening,  to  read  privately  a  chapter  in 
the  Bible.  He  was  the  next  day  with  the  Princess 
Metchersky,  at  Tver.  They  agreed  to  begin  the  Bible 
together,  and  regularly  to  read  it  every  day,  so  that 
they  might  both  read  the  same  portion  on  the  same 
day,  and  be  able  to  communicate  to  one  another  the 
particular  impressions  or  reflections  the  reading  of  the 
day  might  have  produced.  The  Prince  tells  us  that 
the  Emperor  has  directed  proof  sheets  of  the  '  Scrip- 
ture Lessons  '  to  be  regularly  sent  us,  that  we  may  see 
how  the  work  progresses. 

"  9th.  We  spent,  as  we  usually  do  once  a  week, 
about  two  hours  with  Prince  Alexander  Galitzin.  He 
told  us  that  the  Emperor  had  given  orders  for  the 
immediate  translation,  from  the  Slavonian  into  the 
Russian  language,  of  those  portions  of  the  Bible,  in 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  159 

our  Scripture  Lessons,  that  are  not  already  translated, 
and  to  have  thos~  Lessons  immediately  printed.  The 
New  Testament  in  Russ  is  now  printed,  but  the  Bible 
is  not  yet  done,  the  translation  not  being  completed. 
The  Emperor  being  apprised  that  the  time  of  our  de- 
parture is  near,  has  directed  the  Prince  to  have  letters 
of  introduction  prepared  for  us,  addressed  to  the  gov- 
ernors of  the  provinces  through  which  we  travel,  and 
to  his  ambassadors  to  those  nations  where  we  may 
come,  recommending  us  to  them  ;  the  expressions  used 
by  the  Prince  are,  '  to  recommend  you,  as  being  well 
known  to  him,  the  Emperor,'" 

The  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  who  was  successfully 
conducting  the  drainage  works  at  Ochta,  have  been 
published.  During  four  of  the  darkest  months  of  the 
year,  he  says,  Messrs.  Grellet  and  Allen  ceased  not  to 
hold  two  meetings  a  week  in  his  room.  They  left  us 
with  minds  full  of  peace, — beloved  and  regretted  by 
all  who  had  the  happiness  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  them.  The  stream  of  gospel  love  which  was  at 
seasons  permitted  to  flow,  when  channels  were  open 
to  receive  it,  has  made,  I  believe,  an  impression  on  the 
minds  of  some  which  will  never  be  obliterated ;  and 
has  clearly  evinced  whose  servants  they  are !  They 
were,  I  think,  of  all  men  most  fit  to  move  in  such 
a  work,  in  such  a  place,  and  under  such  circum- 
stances." 

They   travelled    in   three    days  and  two  nights  to 
Tver,   where   they   had   "  interesting    engagements.'' 

Thence   to  Moscow,   where  a  still    wider  field  of 
usefulness    claimed     their  attention.      They     visited 


1G0  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

prisons,  going  from  ward  to  ward  ;  they  stood  by  the 
bedside  of  wounded  soldiers  in  hospitals ;  they  con- 
ducted services  in  retreats  for  the  aged  poor;  they 
gathered  boys  around  them  in  charitable  schools; 
they  lingered  among  the  children  of  a  foundling  hos- 
pital, where  there  were  no  less  than  eight  thousand 
eight  hundred  children  indoors  and  out ;  accompanied 
by  the  Governor  they  visited  houses  of  correction  and 
workhouses;  at  the  homes  of  the  ecclesiastical 
dignitaries,  of  the  military  governor,  of  the  chief 
minister  of  police,  and  in  other  houses  they  held 
religious  meetings.  The  substance  of  their  testimony 
was, — the  love  of  God  to  men,  and  that  "  all  outward 
rites  and  observances  are  but  forms,  Christ  and  His 
Spirit  are  the  substance;  this  we  must  press  after, 
without  it  nothing  else  can  avail  us." 

The  noteworthy  fact  of  these  extraordinary  labors 
was  their  quiet  unostentatious  nature,  and  that  they 
followed    one    another    in    such    ordered    sequence. 

They  were  to  many  persons  like  the  soft  breath  of 
God's  south  wind  after  a  long  frost-bound  winter. 

"2 1st.  We  were  again,"  says  the  Journal,  "with 
the  Prince  Sergius  Galitzin,  and  several  of  his  family ; 
some  of  the  subjects  introduced  by  the  Prince  were 
the  spirituality  of  religion,  Divine  worship,  saving 
baptism,  etc.  Among  those  present  was  a  Romish 
priest,  who  did  not  appear  pleased  with  the  matters 
treated  upon,  but  though  showing  his  uneasiness,  he 
kept  silence.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  General 
Gourard's.  We  met  the  General  at  the  door,  going 
out,  but  we  were  introduced  to  his  wife's  apartments, 


S1JC  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  161 

where  we  found  about  fifteen  ladies  together.  On 
our  first  coming  among  them,  total  strangers  to  one 
another,  our  minds  were  solemnized ;  a  feeling  sense 
was  given  that  the  Lord's  presence  was  there ;  it  seemed 
as  if  we  had  suddenly  come  into  a  meeting  of  spirit- 
ually minded  persons ;  very  few  words  passed  between 
us,  but  we  were  all  gathered  together  into  solemn  silence 
and  prostration  of  soul  before  God,  evidently  *  drinking 
together  into  the  one  Spirit.'  We  had  continued  some 
time  in  this  state,  when,  the  love  of  Christ  the  dear 
Redeemer  constraining  me,  I  began  to  speak  as  by 
His  Divine  Spirit  He  gave  me  utterance :  we  had  a 
contriting  season ;  indeed  I  have  seldom  known  any 
select  company  of  my  beloved  friehds,  when  more  of 
the  Lord's  baptizing  power  has  been  felt  than  we  then 
witnessed  together.  After  the  conclusion  of  that 
solemn  meeting,  we  gave  some  account  of  ourselves ; 
for  we  were  as  great  strangers  to  the  company  as  they 
were  to  us ;  we  handed  to  the  mistress  of  the  house 
the  letters  we  had  for  her  from  the  Princess  Metchersky. 

Among  those  present  were  two  princesses  from 
Georgia,  sent  to  this  empire  as  hostages ;  another  is 
the  Countess  Toutschkoff,  and  two  of  her  sisters ;  the 
others  were  of  the  same  rank.  They  are  in  the  prac- 
tice of  meeting  frequently  together,  silently  to  wait 
upon  the  Lord;  they  have  become  acquainted  with 
the  operations  of  His  Spirit,  and  the  power  of  Truth, 
under  which  they  have  witnessed  the  one  baptism, 
and  are  also  favored  at  seasons  to  partake  together  of 
the  one  bread,  even  Christ  the  bread  of  life. 

."  The  Countess  Toutschkoff  gave  us  an  interesting 


162  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

narrative  of  the  manner  in  which  she  was  first  brought 
to  the  conviction  that  there  is  a  secret  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  the  heart  of  man.  The  impressions 
made  upon  her  were  such  that  she  can  never  doubt 
that  it  was  the  Lord's  work.  It  occurred  about  three 
months  before  the  French  army  entered  Russia ;  the 
General,  her  husband,  was  with  her,  on  their  estates 
near  Toula ;  she  dreamed  that  she  was  at  an  inn  in  a 
town  unknown  to  her,  that  her  father  came  into  her 
chamber,  having  her  only  son  by  the  hand,  and  said 
to  her  in  a  most  pitiful  tone,  '  all  thy  comforts  are 
cut  off,  he  has  fallen  (meaning  her  husband),  he  has 
fallen  at  Borodino.'  She  woke  in  great  distress,  but, 
knowing  that  her  husband  was  beside  her,  she  con- 
sidered it  as  a  dream,  and  tried  to  compose  herself 
again  to  sleep ;  the  dream  was  repeated,  and  attended 
with  such  increased  distress  of  mind,  that  it  was  a  long 
time  before  she  could  rise  above  it  and  fall  asjeep 
again.  A  third  time  she  dreamed  the  same;  her 
anguish  of  mind  was-  then  such  that  she  woke  her 
husband  and  queried,  '  Where  is  Borodino  ?'  and  then 
mentioned  her  dream ;  he  could  not  tell  her  where 
that  place  was ;  they  and  her  father  carefully  looked 
over  the  maps  of  the  country,  but  could  not  discover 
any  such  place.  It  was  then  but  an  obscure  spot,  but 
has  since  become  renowned  for  the  bloody  battle 
fought  near  it.  The  impressions,  however,  made  upon 
the  Countess  were  deep,  and  her  distress  great ;  she 
considered  this  as  a  warning  given  her  of  the  Lord, 
that  great  afflictions  were  to  come  upon  her,  under 
which  she  believed  that  His  Divine  grace  and  mercy 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  RUSSIA.  163 

could  alone  sustain  her.  From  that  period  her  views 
of  the  world  became  changed ;  things  that  belong  to  the 
salvation  of  the  soul,  hitherto  disregarded,  were  now 
the  chief  object  of  her  pursuit.  She  ceased  to  attend 
places  of  diversion,  which  formerly  had  been  her 
delight;  she  looked  forward  to  see  what  the  Lord 
would  do  with  her ;  for  she  believed  that  she  had  not 
had  mere  dreams,  but  warnings,  through  the  Lord's 
Spirit,  of  what  was  impending  over  her.  At  that 
time  the  seat  of  war  was  far  off,  but  it  soon  drew 
near:  before  the  French  armiese  ntered  Moscow,  the 
General  Toutschkoff  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
army  of  reserve ;  and  one  morning  her  father,  having 
her  little  son  by  the  hand,  entered  the  chamber  of  the 
inn  at  which  she  was  staying ;  in  great  distress,  as  she 
had  beheld  him  in  her  dream,  he  cried  out,  '  He  has 
fallen,  he  has  fallen  at  Borodino.'  Then  she  saw  her- 
self in  the  very  same  chamber,  and  through  the 
windows  beheld  the  very  same  objects  that  she  had 
seen  in  her  dreams.  Her  husband  was  one  of  the 
many  who  perished  in  the  bloody  battle,  fought  near 
the  river  Borodino,  from  which  an  obscure  village 
takes  its  name. 

"  The  countess  said  that  the  impressions  made  upon 
her  that  the  Lord,  through  His  Spirit,  communicates 
Himself  to  man,  became  strongly  confirmed  ;  she  was 
convinced  that  there  is  a  sensible  influence  of  the 
Divine  Spirit;  she  endeavored  to  attend  to  it;  one 
thing  after  another  was  unfolded  to  her  of  the  '  deep 
things  of  God'  and  those  *  which  concern  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ' ;  and  it  was  by  this  that  she  had  become 


164  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

acquainted  with  the  nature  of  spiritual  worship.  This 
was  the  case  also  with  her  two  sisters,  then  present ; 
the  same  conviction  had  been  wrought  on  the  minds 
of  the  other  pious  females,  through  the  immediate 
operation  of  the  Lord's  Spirit  and  power ;  they  knew 
it  to  be  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  that 
leads  into  all  truth.  The  Georgian  princesses  are  in  a 
humble  and  tender  state ;  we  were  indeed  all  broken 
and  contrited  together  before  the  Lord." 

Those  who  have  read  the  able  volumes  of  Mr. 
Wallace  on  Russia  will  remember  that  in  two  remark- 
able chapters  he  describes  groups  of  pious  persons, 
who  in  these  days  have  separated  themselves  from  the 
ceremonial  observances  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  are 
to  be  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  empire.  A  still 
newer  evangelical  movement  is  in  progress,  but  neither 
of  these  must  be  confounded  with  Nihilism. 

Nor  let  such  a  fragment  of  personal  history  as  that 
of  the  Countess  ToutschkofT  be  received  with  incredu- 
lity. No  doubt  there  is  in  some  persons  a  morbid  love 
of  the  marvellous.  But  a  creed  that  should  accept 
nothing  beyond  the  province  of  a  common  and  ordi- 
nary experience  would  scarcely  be  a  creed.  Men  of 
cool,  calm  temperament,  who  have  had  much  inter- 
course with  Christianly  enlightened  and  pious  persons, 
have  been  constrained  to  admit  the  direct  operations 
of  a  preternatural  power  in  the  awakening  of  men  to 
the  realities  of  an  unseen  spiritual  world.  The  in- 
credulity as  to  these  °  heavenly  visions  "  may  be  a 
deliberate  closing  of  the  heart  to  incontestable  evidence. 
Moreover,  a  time  like  that  under  notice,  of  Napoleon's 


SIX  MONTHS  IN  R  USSIA.  165 

march  to  Moscow,  was  one  of  inconceivable  conster- 
nation. He  came  as  the  invincible,  at  the  head  of 
nearly  half  a  million  of  men.  At  such  a  period  there 
were  compassionate  drawings  and  movements  of  the 
Divine  love,  not  conformable  to  ordinary  methods. 
"  God  fulfils  Himself  in  many  ways."  Blessed  are  they 
who  in  such  crises  permit  themselves  to  be  led  in  the 
darkness  by  the  loving  hand  of  their  Father.  Hapr 
pily  there  are  in  all  times  those, — 

M  Whose  hearts  are  fresh  and  simple, 
Who  have  faith  in  God  and  Nature ; 
Who  believe  that  in  all  ages 
Every  human  heart  is  human  ; 
That  in  every  mortal  bosom 
There  are  longings,  yearnings,  strivings, 
For  the  good  they  comprehend  not ; 
That  the  feeble  hands,  and  helpless, 
Groping  blindly  in  the  darkness, 
Touch  God's  right  hand  in  that  darkness. 
And  are  lifted  up  and  strengthened." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE. 

»  r^HE  following  principles  may  better  enable  us  to 
JL  understand  the  persuasive  fidelity  and  most 
remarkable  work  of  Mr.  Grellet  at  this  period  of  his 
history. 

He  writes  of  himself,  as  we  have  seen,  to  Mr.  Dillwyn 
as  filling  "  the  humble  station  of  a  waterer."  He  had 
no  exaggerated  expectations  of  the  entire  conversion 
of  cities  and  nations.  He  knew  that  Christianity  was 
placed  in  the  soil  of  humanity  as  a  living  seed,  and  he 
aimed  in  his  travels  through  the  European  kingdoms 
to  guard  and  promote  the  growth  of  that  seed.  While 
his  mission,  after  the  European  chaos  of  bloodshed, 
overturnings,  and  horrors,  was  largely  philanthropic, 
he  knew  that  through  the  ministration  of  the  gracious 
Spirit  there  were  in  every  nation  those  that  feared 
God  and  worked  righteousness,  and  his  object  con- 
tinually was  to  encourage,  confirm,  and  strengthen  the 
faith  of  such. 

God  can  only  employ  such  instrumentality  as  is  in 
union  with  Himself.  "  The  all  of  God — His  presence, 
wisdom,  and  power — dwells  more  than  anywhere  else 
in  the  nothing  of  the  creature."  By  this  is  not 
meant  that  the  servant  of  the  Lord  has  annihilated  his 

(166) 


VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE.  167 

will  and  reason.  He  is  in  the  completest  possession 
of  all  his  faculties.  It  is  selfish  ends  and  ambitions 
that  are  annihilated ;  his  eye  is  single,  and  his  whole 
body  is  full  of  light. 

The  Divine  love  is  not  a  name,  a  single  attribute. 
It  is  the  infinite  force  of  God  Himself.  It  is  the 
atmosphere  that  wraps  round  all  creatures.  Selfhood 
cannot  perceive,  cannot  receive,  that  love.  It  is  in 
utter  contrariety  to  it.  But  where  selfhood  is  sub- 
dued, and  the  supremest  emotions  are  free  from  its 
control,  then  the  Divine  love  finds  an  agency  suitable 
in  every  way  for  its  propensions  and  actings  towards 
the  lost  and  tempted  human  race. 

The  obedience  of  one  who  has  waited  on  the  Lord, 
that  he  might  fulfil  not  his  own  purposes  but  God's, 
has  in  it  all  the  certainties  of  doing  the  will  of  God. 
As  we  stand  by  the  sea  watching  the  receding  tide, 
we  soon  observe  the  returning  flow  of  the  waters. 
Silently  the  mighty  ocean,  which  bears  fewer  marks 
of  the  fall  than  the  land,  has  heard  the  voice  of  the 
great  Creator.  The  obedience  is  most  exact,  instan- 
taneous, and  perfect.  The  sea  does  not  deny  its  own 
mighty  forces,  but  uses  them  and  keeps  them  all  in 
absolute  subjection  to  the  wise  and  beneficent  will  of 
God.  In  like  manner  man  becomes  effective  to  do 
the  Lord's  work  as,  with  "  quick  understanding  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,"  he  hearkens  to  and  unfalteringly 
obeys  His  holy  will.  Thus  with  Stephen  Grellet  as 
with  John,  mighty  works  showed  forth  themselves  in 
him. 

It  may  be  held  that  he  must  have  had  most  accom- 


1G8  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

plished  manners  and  cultured  suavity,  so  that  even  his 
Quaker  peculiarities  did  not  offend  distinguished 
persons.  This  is  true.  But  is  not  courtesy  and 
gentlemanliness  in  its  finest  tact  and  actings  the  fruit 
of  the  indwelling  Spirit  ?  The  Scriptures  mention  the 
"  gentleness  "  of  God ;  the  apostle  Paul  besought  the 
Corinthians  by  the  "  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ." 

Linked  in  closest  sympathy,  the  two  faithful  friends 
left  Russia  and  proceeded  southward.  A  long  and 
arduous  journey  lay  before  them.  Stopping  at  different 
intervals  in  some  of  the  towns  on  their  route,  they 
visited  the  German  colonies  of  Mennonites,  on  the  left 
shore  of  the  Molotshnaia,  spent  some  time  among  the 
truly  Christian  Malakans,  and  the  neighboring  settle- 
ment of  the  Duhobortzi,  and  then  crossed  the  steppe 
from  Altona,  the  last  establishment  of  the  Mennonites, 
to  Perekop  and  the  Crimea.  The  letters  of  introduc- 
tion with  which  they  were  furnished  through  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  and  the  various  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  authorities  in  Petersburg,  opened 
the  way  for  them  wherever  they  came,  and  both  in 
the  mansion  and  the  prison  the  Lord  continued  to 
prosper  their  labor  of  love. 

They  encouraged  on  their  way  Christian  witnesses 
and  bishops,  one  of  whom  represented  others  as  he 
said  "  This  is  one  of  the  most  precious  days  of  my 
life,  my  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  is  greatly  confirmed." 
They  visited  schools  and  hospitals;  they  mitigated 
the  unspeakable  tortures  of  prisoners  in  dungeons; 
they  bore  testimony  against  the  evils  of  war  and  strong 
drink;  they  held  small  meetings,  whenever  permitted, 


VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE.  169 

with  clergy  and  piously  disposed  persons,  and  recom- 
mended simplicity  in  their  worship  and  manner  of 
living.  During  the  progress  of  this  journey  they 
endured  great  inconveniences  and  privations.  In  the 
Crimea  however,  and  at  Sebastopol,  they  were  received 
with  kindness  by  the  admiral,  and  were  able  to  carry 
forward  their  mission  among  sailors,  soldiers,  and 
prisoners. 

After  carefully  weighing  the  subject,  and  supplica- 
ting Divine  direction,  they  felt  it  right  to  proceed  over 
the  31ack  Sea  to  Constantinople.  Stephen  Grellet 
says  as  he  approached  the  city  of  the  Crescent :  "  I 
spent  a  night  of  watchfulness  unto  prayer,  like  Jacob, 
wrestling  the  whole  night  for  the  Lord's  blessing,  and 
towards  morning  the  light  of  His  countenance  did  very 
graciously  arise  upon  me.  My  trust  and  confidence 
are  renewed  in  Him,  blessed  and  praised  be  His 
adorable  name ! " 

Mr.  T.  W.  Black,  a  merchant,  came  on  board  the 
Lord  Cathcart  to  welcome  them.  Sir  Robert  Liston 
sent  his  dragoman  janissary  to  bring  their  baggage 
from  the  ship.  The  ambassador  and  his  lady  very 
courteously  pressed  them  to  accept  the  hospitality  of 
their  palace;  they  declined  the  invitation,  having 
previously  accepted  that  of  Mr.  Black.  In  Constanti- 
nople they  found  letters  awaiting  them  from  their 
homes,  and  also  •  an  expression  of  sympathy  from 
Friends  in  England,  signed  by  William  Forster.  They 
exclaimed :  "  Oh  how  sweet  it  is,  thus  to  have  the 
unity  and  sympathy  of  the  church !  This  is  indeed 
a  word  of  comfort  and  encouragement  that  the  Lord 


170  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

sends  us  in  time  of  need.  We  received  here  a  large 
supply  of  books  of  a  religious  character,  and  also 
some  treating  of  our  principles,  in  different  languages, 
and  a  pretty  good  supply  of  New  Testaments,  sent  us 
from  Malta,  in  Greek,  Latin  and  Italian.  Some  of  the 
Testaments  are  in  modern  Greek." 

At  that  time  it  was  death  to  a  Turk  to  forsake 
Mohammedanism.  Their  chief  concern  therefore  was 
with  the  Armenians  and  Greeks,  to  whom  they  gave 
Bibles  and  French  books.  "  We  had  felt  our  minds 
drawn  towards  their  great  prison,  called  the  Bagnio, 
and,  through  the  dragoman,  permission  to  visit  it  was 
obtained.  It  has  now  only  five  hundred  prisoners, 
but  in  time  of  war  especially  it  is  very  crowded; 
several  thousands  of  poor  fellow-beings  are  then 
immured  in  it.  They  are  all  mingled  together, 
criminals  and  prisoners  of  war.  All  those  that  are 
able  to  labor  are  put*  to  work  in  the  ship-yards* 
arsenals,  etc.,  contiguous  to  the  prison.  The  latter  is 
spacious  and  pretty  airy  during  the  summer,  but  very 
uncomfortable  in  rainy  seasons  or  cold  weather.  The 
prisoners  are  mostly  chained  two  and  two ;  no  meat 
is  given  them ;  the  ration  of  bread  allowed  by  the 
Government  would  be  sufficient  if  they  received  it, 
but  the  various  hands  through  which  it  has  to  pass 
before  it  comes  to  them  retain  a  great  part  of  it,  so 
that  in  the  end  the  poor  prisoners  receive  not  one  half 
of  their  allotted  portion,  and  they  have  in  consequence 
emaciated  locks;  some  are  so  feeble  that  they  can 
hardly  drag  themselves  along.  We  had  several 
opportunities  with  them  through  our  dragoman.     The 


VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE.  171 

Turkish  officers  who  accompanied  us  did  not  appear 
to  make  any  objection  to  it.  We  found  but  few 
attacked  with  the  plague  in  the  prison,  at  which  we 
were  surprised,  for  many  parts  of  it  are  very  filthy. 
This  is  thought  to  be  owing  to  the  free  circulation  of 
air.  Whilst  at  work,  which  is  from  daylight  to  sun- 
set, except  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  noon  to  eat  their 
morsel  of  bread,  an  officer  has  the  oversight  of  ten 
prisoners,  and  with  a  stick,  which  he  applies  pretty 
freely,  urges  them  on  to  their  work.  These  poor 
prisoners  have  indeed  a  miserable  life,  in  consequence 
of  which  many  of  them  die.  We  visited  other  prisons, 
which  are  like  the  Segees  in  Russia;  but  here,  as 
justice  is  quickly  administered,  they  do  not  remain 
long.  It  frequently  occurs  that  the  police  officers, 
without  taking  the  trouble  to  carry  the  offender  to 
prison,  give  him  the  bastinado  on  the  spot  where  they 
take  him,  or,  if  carried  to  the  prison,  they  administer 
it  there  on  the  soles  of  the  feet.  It  is  so  severe,  in 
some  cases,  that  the  sufferer  dies  in  consequence  of  it. 
"  The  capitan  pasha  wished  to  see  us.  We  found 
with  him  the  captain  of  the  port.  His  dragoman, 
who  is  a  Greek  prince,  interpreted  for  us.  The  pasha 
wished  to  inquire  into  the  object  of  our  visit  here, 
what  other  nations  we  had  visited,  etc.  It  opened  the 
way  for  our  pleading  on  behalf  of  the  suffering 
prisoners.  We  told  him  it  was  the  love  of  God  and 
man  that  prompted  us,  not  to  see  the  country,  or  the 
curiosities  of  it,  but  to  endeavor  to  press  upon  all  men 
to  live  virtuous  and  pious  lives.  If  they  did  so,  they 
would  love  God  and  man,  and  desire  to  promote  the 


172  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

good  of  all  men.  As  we  parted,  the  captain  of  the 
port  invited  us  to  go  and  see  the  launch  of  a  man-of- 
war.  We  told  him  that  the  most  desirable  sight  he 
could  give  us  would  be  that  of  a  man  of  peace.  These 
have  been  very  painful  engagements  to  us." 

Their  time  was  thus  spent  in  religious  meetings, 
held  sometimes  in  the  large  audience  chamber  of  the 
British  ambassador,  and  at  others  in  that  of  the 
ambassador  from  St.  Petersburg,  where  they  were  met 
by  the  plenipotentiaries  of  other  nations;  also  in 
visiting  the  Greek  patriarch,  and  strangers  from  Prussia, 
Sweden,  and  Spain,  whom  they  "  directed  to  the  peace- 
ful spirit  of  Christ."  They  record :  "  Sir  Robert  Liston 
and  his  wife  have  acted  towards  us  the  part  of  dear 
friends,  and  greatly  facilitated  our  religious  services, 
when  opportunity  for  such  has  presented." 

On  the  25th  of  July,  18 19,  they  took  passage  for 
Smyrna,  where  they  met  a  number  of  Greeks  who 
were  religiously  disposed.  "  We  have  had,"  they 
state,  "some  private  and  more  public  opportunities 
among  them.  We  had  several  meetings  also  with  the 
Armenians  and  others." 

Thence  they  sailed  to  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago, 
and  speak  of  the  beautiful  island  of  Scio.  They  met 
with  the  chief  Greeks  of  the  island,  on  whom  they 
urged  motives  of  benevolence,  and  visited  the  country 
seat  of  Peole  Mavrocordati,  "  a  very  beautiful  place." 

"  It  was,"  they  say,  "  a  treat  to  pass  the  night  in  a 
clean  and  cool  lodging,  and  to  sleep  on  a  bed,  which 
we  have  very  seldom  done  since  we  left  Petersburg : 
yet,  even  here,  as  the  man  was  arranging   the  bed- 


VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE.  173 

clothes,  a  scorpion  near  the  pillow  bit  him  so  severely 
that  his  hand  swelled  considerably  up  to  the  arm, 
attended  with  much  pain ;  dressed  with  some  alkali, 
it  was,  however,  nearly  well  by  morning.  Scorpions 
are  numerous  in  all  these  parts.  Professor  Bambass 
joined  us  at  this  house.  We  had  a  satisfactory 
religious  meeting  with  them  ;  the  purity  and  simplicity 
of  the  Christian  religion,  as  set  forth  in  the  gospel  by 
the  apostles,  was  unfolded  to  them,  and  contrasted  with 
the  many  ceremonies,  Jewish  and  idolatrous  practices, 
that  have  been  devised  and  introduced  into  the  nomi- 
nal church  by  Christian  professors  under  various 
names.  Bambass  said,  after  the  meeting  concluded : 
*  I  fully  unite  with  the  testimony  borne  this  evening 
among  us ;  I  am  in  the  monastic  order ;  I  was  intro- 
duced into  it  when  very  young,  before  my  judgment 
was  formed,  or  I  was  even  of  an  age  to  form  one. 
Monks  have  done  much  harm  to  the  church,  and  they 
bear  some  of  the  strong  marks  the  apostles  gave  of 
the  apostasy.'  He  highly  approved  of  our  views  of 
Divine  worship,  and  of  the  ministry. 

"  Bishop  Plato  came  here  in  the  morning ;  we  had 
a  full  opportunity  with  him  and  others ;  as  some  of 
them  do  not  understand  French,  the  Archbishop  acted 
as  interpreter.  The  particular  subjects  treated  of  were, 
redemption  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  His  saving 
baptism,  Divine  worship,  the  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  cause  of  the  great  declension  in  the  church, 
and  the  way  whereby  man  can  rise  again  from  his  fallen 
estate ;  all  of  which  he  rendered  with  much  precision, 
as  some  competent  judges  told  us  afterwards." 


174  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Doubling  Cape  Colona  they  came  to  Athens.  There 
they  enjoyed  much  freedom  in  "  religious  and  edifying 
conversation."  They  met  with  a  Capuchin  friar  who 
was  very  industrious  in  distributing  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures among  the  people  generally.  "  He  spends,"  they 
write,  "  much  of  his  time  in  religious  retirement,  for 
he  knows  that  it  is  in  the  temple  of  the  heart  that  the 
Lord  is  to  be  found ;  that  there  is  the  altar  on  which 
acceptable  sacrifices  are  to  be  brought  to  the  Lord ; 
and  there  must  burn  the  light  of  truth  continually. 
We  encouraged  him  to  keep  this  light  bright  and 
burning,  and  to  gather  the  people  to  Christ  their 
Teacher  and  Redeemer.  He  came  to  our  lodgings  in 
the  evening,  where  he  had  refreshing  from  the  Divine 
presence."  They  left  New  Testaments  and  religious 
tracts  in  different  languages  in  his  hands. 

Departing  from  Athens  they  came  to  Corinth,  but 
found  their  spirits  almost  crushed  under  the  influence 
of  Mohammedan  oppression.  They  were  able,  how- 
ever, to  obtain  interviews  with  the  primate  of  the 
Greeks  and  observe,  "We  shall  long  remember  the 
sweetness  and  tenderness  of  his  spirit."  At  this  time 
a  serious  illness  came  upon  William  Allen.  No  other 
course  remained  but  that  of  his  return  to  England. 
Stephen  Grellet  records  :  "  I  enjoy  these  days  of  retire- 
ment, though  clothed  with  great  poverty.  The  Lord 
is  also  graciously  pleased  to  settle  my  mind  in  much 
calmness  and  resignation,  in  the  prospect  of  being  left 
by  my  beloved  companion  and  co-worker.  To  the 
Lord's  guidance  I  must  resign  him.  Great  has  been  His 
goodness  to  me  in  granting  me  such  a  beloved  one  as 


VISIT  TO  TURKEY  AND  GREECE.  175 

fellow-helper  through  the  various  countries  we  have 
visited  since  leaving  England.  Now,  instead  of  repin- 
ing at  the  prospect  of  a  separation,  my  soul  blesses 
the  Lord  for  favors  received,  and  is  permitted  also  to 
hope  for  more ;  though  which  way  they  will  come  I 
do  not  know ;  but  they  all  proceed  from  Him  who  is 
the  God  of  all  our  sure  mercies." 

In  Corfu,  Sir  Thomas  Maitland,  Governor  of  the 
Ionian  Isles,  and  commandant  of  the  British  forces  in 
the  Mediterranean,  paid  most  courteous  attentions  to 
these  holy  men.  Understanding  that  Stephen  Grellet 
purposed  going  to  Naples,  he  offered  an  English  frigate 
for  his  use.  Mr.  Grellet  told  him  that  he  could  not 
go  on  a  ship  of  war,  as  his  errand  was  one  of  peace. 
Sir  Thomas  said:  "As  you  may  meet  with  some 
difficulties  among  those  bigoted  Papists,  at  Naples  and 
at  Rome,  I  will  have  letters  ready  for  our  ambassadors 
there,  also  for  the  Chevalier  de  Medici,  Prime  Minister 
of  the  King  of  Naples,  and  also  for  the  Cardinal  Con- 
salvi,  Prime  Minister  of  the  Pope ;  he  is  my  particular 
friend,  and  I  shall  have  him  apprised  of  your  coming, 
before  your  arrival  there." 

There  may  have  been  exceptions,  but,  as  a  rule, 
English  officers  of  rank  have  borne  towards  the 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  on  foreign  stations,  a  large- 
hearted  hospitality  and  a  reverential  courteousness, 
which  will  not  be  forgotten  by  Him  who  teaches  that 
the  cup  of  cold  water  given  in  His  name  to  a  disciple 
shall  not  lose  its  reward.  We  have  seen,  as  this  narra- 
tive has  been  followed,  many  of  these  expressions  of 
polite  consideration  and  attention  on  the  part  of  these 


176  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

gentlemen,  and   happily  these   kind    and    refreshing 
acts  are  not  a  thing  of  the  past. 

From  the  Journal  of  Mr.  Grellet  we  learn: — "At 
sea,  on  the  Adriatic.  Previous  to  our  separation,  dear 
Allen  and  I  had  a  very  solemn  and  precious  season 
before  the  Lord;  we  felt  the  bond  of  gospel  love 
uniting  us  closely,  and  perhaps  more  powerfully  felt 
than  at  any  time  before ;  but  believing  that  our  separa- 
tion is  in  the  counsel  of  Him  who,  in  His  love  and 
mercy,  had  banded  us  together,  we  resigned  one 
another  to  His  will,  and  we  commit  ourselves  to  His 
guidance  and  protection.  I  leave  him  peacefully, 
under  the  care  of  Doctor  Skey,  a  very  kind  friend  to 
him.  The  Doctor  accompanied  me  on  board  the 
vessel  at  two  p.m." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IW  SOUTHERN-  ITALY. 

MR.  SEEBOHM  very  tenderly  and  appropriately 
writes :  "  Stephen  Grellet  has  now  arrived  at 
a  peculiarly  interesting,  if  not  a  critical,  period  of  his 
mission.  In  company  with  a  beloved  brother  and 
fellow-laborer  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  he  had  visited 
the  Lutheran  land  of  Gustavus  Adolphus, — he  had 
traversed  the  regions  of  the  Greek  Church,  in  the 
dominions  of  the  Christian  Alexander — he  had  been 
in  the  Crescent  City,  and  had  seen  something  of 
Mohammedan  rule ; — he  had  mingled  with  the  discor- 
dant elements  of  the  motley  group  of  believers  and 
unbelievers,  in  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago, 
and  in  the  Ionian  Sea,  and  at  Athens  and  Corinth. 
He  had  left  his  beloved  companion  at  Corfu,  and  now, 
a  solitary  pilgrim,  ■  alone,  and  yet  not  alone/  he  had 
set  his  face  towards  the  land  of  popes  and  cardinals. 
Himself  at  one  time  a  child  of  Rome,  then  an  infidel, 
now  a  Christian  believer,  and  a  minister  of  Christ  in 
the  religious  Society  of  Friends — a  Protestant  of  Pro- 
testants,— he  was  about  to  enter  the  precincts  of  the 
city  of  Leo  and  Hildebrand.  It  required  a  very  close 
and  humble  walk  with  God,  a  very  chaste  adherence 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  a  very  prayerful  attention  to 

(177) 


178  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

the  leadings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  a  very  firm  reli- 
ance upon  '  the  word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,'  based 
upon  the  inspired  records  of  the  Bible,  to  come  out 
unscathed  from  the  ordeal  that  awaited  him ;  meekly 
bold,  he  had  to  '  speak  the  truth  in  love,'  on  all  occa- 
sions and  to  all,  without  pusillanimously  renouncing 
the  simplicity  and  integrity  of  his  own  character,  deter- 
mined to  know  nothing  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him 
crucified,  seeking  nothing,  pleading  for  nothing  save 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Him.  The  sequel  will  show  how 
he  sustained  the  trial,  and  stood  faithful  to  his  God 
and  Saviour." 

On  the  13th  of  November,  18 19,  he  arrived  in 
Naples,  and  took  up  his  abode  at  "  The  Golden  Eagle." 
Sir  William  A'Court,  British  Ambassador,  received 
him  kindly ;  also  Henry  Lushington,  Esq.  The  latter 
showed  him  much  attention.  At  that  time  no  Bible 
could  be  circulated  in  Naples.  The  priests  affirmed 
that  the  safety  of  the  Church  would  be  endangered  if 
the  people  were  in  possession  of  the  Scriptures.  The 
same  prohibition  applied  to  religious  books  and  tracts. 
Darkness,  despotism,  superstition,  and  irreligion  pre- 
vailed everywhere.  Mr.  Lushington  and  the  Ameri- 
can Consul  accompanied  him,  however,  to  the  "  Al- 
bergo  de  Poveri,"  which  contained  two  thousand  four 
hundred  persons,  near  half  of  these  being  girls  and 
boys.     Here  he  had  religious  meetings. 

By  appointment  he  waited  on  the  Prime  Minister, 
the  Chevalier  de  Medici,  to  whom  he  had  an  introduc- 
tion from  Sir  Thomas  Maitland.  We  return  here, 
therefore,  to  Mr.  GreHet's  Journal. 


IN  SO  UTHERN  ITAL  Y.  1 79 

"  I  found  in  the  antechamber  a  great  number  of 
persons  of  all  ranks,  waiting  to  have  an  audience  with 
him ;  they  surveyed  me  closely,  whispering  to  one 
another  what  kind  of  being  I  might  be,  thus  to  appear 
with  my  hat  on.  I  was  not  left  long  among  them ; 
for  it  appears  that  the  Chevalier  had  given  orders  to 
his  attendants  to  admit  me  into  his  private  cabinet  as 
soon  as  I  came ;  he  made  me  sit  by  him,  and  proceeded 
to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  the  engagements  I  had 
had  in  the  different  nations  where  I  had  travelled; 
then  he  was  very  particular  in  his  inquiries  into  various 
of  our  Christian  principles  and  practices.  He  offered 
to  give  me  orders  for  admittance  to  all  their  prisons, 
or  any  other  place  I  might  wish  to  visit,  requesting 
only  that  I  would  impart  to  him  what  I  might  see,  to 
which  he  could  possibly  apply  some  remedy.  I  made 
several  attempts  to  withdraw,  knowing  that  many 
persons  were  in  waiting ;  but  he  was  not  ready  to  let 
me  go  till  we  had  been  above  an  hour  together,  and 
then  he  accompanied  me  through  the  antechamber, 
where  so  many  were  waiting,  to  the  farther  door ;  they 
gazed  at  me,  whilst  they  bowed  very  low  to  the  Cheva- 
lier, as  we  passed  on. 

"  In  the  afternoon  I  was  with  the  Abbe*  Mastroti ; 
several  noblemen  were  present,  also  a  young  prince 
whom  I  saw  yesterday.  I  felt  for  a  while  much  de- 
jected ;  a  heavy  weight  was  upon  my  mind,  and  I  did 
not  see  how  I  could  throw  it  off  before  such  a  company, 
who  appeared  to  be  of  the  great  and  wise  of  this  world ; 
but  I  thought  that  if  I  truly  wished  to  be  myself  one 
of  the  wise  in  the  Divine  sight,  I  must  first  become  a 


180  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

fool,  yea,  be  willing  to  be  accounted  so  by  others.  I 
proclaimed  to  them  the  day  of  the  Lord,  which  shall 
burn  as  an  oven,  etc,  etc.  ;  I  entreated  them  to  receive 
Him  in  the  way  of  His  coming,  and  be  of  those  whose 
sins  go  beforehand  to  judgment,  and  not  of  those 
whose  sins  follow  after ;  not  to  trust  in  the  doctrine  of 
a  purgatory,  but  rather  deeply  to  consider  the  descrip- 
tion given  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself  of  what 
follows  after  death,  as  set  forth  in  the  parable  of  Dives 
and  Lazarus ;  the  rich  man,  not  in  purgatory—  but  in 
hell — lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  Lazarus  in  Abraham's 
bosom,  etc.,  etc.  The  Lord's  truth  was  exalted  among 
them,  and  His  power  had  the  dominion. 

"In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  Prince  Caidito's.  I 
feel  deeply  with  him,  in  his  desire  for  the  moral  and 
virtuous  education  of  the  youth  among  the  mass  of 
the  people ;  I  placed  in  his  hands  a  copy  of  the 
4  Scripture  Lessons,'  which  dear  Allen  and  I  prepared 
in  Russia.  I  found  with  the  Prince  eight  other  noble- 
men, who  also  manifested  great  interest  in  the  subject  ; 
they  were  inquisitive  as  to  several  branches  of  our 
Christian  principle  and  testimonies ;  this  gave  me  an 
opportunity  to  set  before  them  what  the  church  of 
Christ  is ;  the  worship  which  His  servants  are  to  offer 
to  Him  who  is  the  Head  of  His  church,  which  is  a 
pure  church  ;  this  I  contrasted  with  the  Church  of 
Rome,  the  worship  of  images  introduced  therein,  the 
great  impurity  of  so  many  of  its  members,  particularly 
of  the  priests  and  monks.  They  acknowledged  the 
correctness  of  these  representations.  On  returning  to 
my  lodgings  I  found  a  letter  from  the  Chevalier  de 


IiV  SO  UTIIERN  ITAL  Y.  1 81 

Medici,    inclosing  orders    for   my  admittance  to  the 
various  prisons,  etc. 

"2 1st.  Accompanied  by  Bonaprianola,  I  began  the 
very  painful  work  of  visiting  the  receptacles  of  vice 
and  crime.  I  went  to-day  through  the  two  prisons  for 
women,  a  large  one  for  men,  and  a  hospital  for  their 
sick.  This  service  took  me  from  nine  a.  m.  till  four 
p.  m.  But  my  bodily  fatigue  is  small  compared  with 
the  anguish  of  mind  I  have  endured.  I  do  not  re- 
member that,  in  any  day  of  my  life,  I  have  been  with 
so  many  fellow-beings  so  totally  depraved  and  hardened. 
Cages  of  very  unclean  birds,  indeed,  I  have  been  in. 
Many  of  the  inmates,  of  both  sexes,  and  even  children, 
have  committed  atrocious  crimes.  I  saw  fifteen  in  one 
cell  who  are  condemned  to  death.  Their  crimes  are 
of  the  deepest  dye,  and  they  do  not  show  the  least 
sense  of  their  situation.  My  attempt  to  represent  to 
them  the  awful  doom  that  awaits  them  shortly,  unless 
by  sincere  repentance  they  seek  for  repentance  and 
forgiveness  through  Him  who  is  the  only  Saviour  of 
sinners,  appeared  to  have  no  more  effect  than  the 
dropping  of  water  on  the  flinty  rock.  Some  boys 
who  are  there,  at  the  early  age  of  eleven  years,  have 
perpetrated  several  murders.  I  endeavored  to  turn 
the  inmates  of  these  prisons  '  from  darkness  to  light, 
and  from  sin  and  Satan  to  God ' ;  but  I  do  not  know 
that  a  single  individual,  out  of  several  thousands  I 
have  been  with  this  day,  has  given  the  least  sign  of 
sorrow  for  his  evil  deeds. 

tf  22nd.    To-day    I   visited   the    foundling  hospital, 
which  is  a  very  large  establishment.     The  mortality 


1C2  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

among  the  children  admitted  here  is  not  as  great  as  in 
similar  places  in  Russia.  About  eighty  nuns  have  the 
principal  charge  of  it.  In  one  part  there  are  about 
four  hundred  girls,  most  of  whom  have  attained  the 
age  of  young  women.  It  is  a  kind  of  convent.  As  I 
was  going  through  a  long  corridor,  accompanied  by 
several  of  the  nuns  and  priests  attached  to  this  exten- 
sive institution,  we  passed  the  door  of  their  chapel, 
which  was  open.  I  saw  the  girls,  with  several  nuns, 
on  their  knees  before  a  large  Madonna,  or  representa- 
tion of  the  Virgin  Mary,  very  richly  and  finely  dressed. 
Wax  candles  were  burning  before  it.  They  were 
singing  to  the  image,  but  at  the  same  time  their  faces 
were  toward  us,  laughing.  My  soul  was  sorrowful  on 
beholding  them,  and  their  superstition  and  idolatry. 
The  chief  of  the  priests  who  were  with  me  asked  if  I 
did  not  wish  to  go  into  the  church  to  see  the  girls  at 
their  devotions.  I  told  him  I  should  like  to  do  so  if  it 
were  proper;  I  felt  a  strong  inclination  [to  go  in,  but, 
as  from  religious  principle  I  do  not  uncover  my  head 
in  any  place  as  if  it  was  holy  ground,  I  was  unwilling 
to  give  offence  to  any  one  by  going  in.  The  nuns 
said,  nobody  here  would  be  offended  at  it.  The  priests 
also  said:  'We  have  on  our  heads  our  cassocks; 
your  hat  is  to  you  no  more  than  these  are  to  us,  es- 
pecially as  it  is  from  religious  principle  that  you  act  ' 
Then  I  told  them  I  would  go  in,  on  condition  that,  if 
I  apprehended  it  was  required  of  me  by  the  Lord  to 
communicate  anything  to  the  young  women  thus  as- 
sembled, he,  the  chief  priest,  who  spoke  good  French, 
would  interpret  for  me.     He  very  readily  agreed  to  do 


m  SO VTHEUN  ITALY.  183 

so.  We  all  went  in.  Besides  the  girls,  most  of  the 
nuns  were  in  the  church  surrounding  their  great 
Madonna.  When  they  had  concluded  singing  their 
hymn,  I  told  them  how  greatly  my  heart  had  been 
pained,  as  I  passed  by,  on  seeing  the  lightness  of  their 
conduct  whilst  engaged  in  what  they  call  a  devotional 
act;  that  I  could  not  however  be  surprised  at  it,  if 
they  truly  looked  on  that  image  before  them  as  what 
it  really  is, — nothing  but  a  piece  of  wood,  carved  by 
man's  device,  which  can  neither  hear,  nor  see,  neither 
do  good  nor  evil  to  any ;  our  devotion,  I  said,  is  to  be 
to  Him  who  sees  the  secret  of  our  hearts,  hears  not 
our  words  only,  but  knows  our  every  thought;  from 
Him  we  have  everything  to  fear  if  we  do  not  serve, 
obey,  and  honour  Him ;  and  the  richest  blessings  to 
hope  for  if  we  love,  fear,  and  serve  Him  :  the  worship 
acceptable  to  Him  is  to  be  performed  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  from  the  very  heart ;  this  is  the  temple  in  which 
He  is  to  be  found,  and  in  which  He  revealeth  Himself. 
Here,  at  noonday,  they  have  lighted  tapers,  which 
cannot  enable  them  to  discover  the  sinfulness  of  the 
heart;  but  the  light  of  Christ,  which  enlightens  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world,  and  by  which  every- 
thing with  which  He  has  a  controversy  is  made  mani- 
fest, showeth  us  our  sins,  that  we  may  look  upon  Him 
whom  by  our  sins  we  have  pierced  :  He  is  the  Saviour 
of  all  those  that  come  to  Him  in  faith  and  true  repent- 
ance. Then  I  proceeded  to  proclaim  to  them  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour  of  sinners,  the  only 
W>pe  of  salvation,  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life, 
without  whom  no  man  can  come  to  God  the  Father) 


184  STEPHEN-  GRELLET. 

all  that  pretend  to  enter  by  any  other  way  than  by 
Him  are  accounted  as  thieves  and  robbers.  The  priest 
interpreted  faithfully  into  Italian,  of  which  I  could 
judge.  The  nuns  and  the  other  priests  said  several 
times,  '  This  is  the  truth,'  or  '  It  is  so.'  The  counte- 
nances of  the  girls  had  much  altered  ;  they  hung  down 
their  heads,  and  tears  flowed  from  some  of  their  eyes. 
Thus  did  my  blessed  Master  enable  His  poor  servant, 
in  a  Popish  church,  assisted  by  priests,  to  bear  testi- 
mony to  His  blessed  truth,  and  against  the  superstitious 
worship  that  these  poor  girls  were  offering  to  a  carved 
piece  of  wood.  After  we  came  out,  some  more  of  the 
nuns  collected  about  us,  and  in  answering  some  of 
their  questions  I  further  unfolded  to  them  what  ac- 
ceptable worship  to  God  consists  in,  and  also  what  is 
the  only  hope  of  salvation.  No  man  can  save  his 
brother,  or  give  to  God  a  ransom  for  his  soul  ;  that, 
therefore,  it  is  great  presumption  for  any  to  attempt  to 
take  upon  themselves  to  pronounce  absolution  from 
sin  on  a  sinner.  After  opportunities  of  this  sort  I 
sometimes  marvel  that  they  do  not  lay  their  hands 
upon  me ;  but  here,  on  the  contrary,  they  parted  from 
me  in  tenderness,  and  expressions  of  their  satisfaction 
with  my  visit.  Surely  this  is  the  Lord's  doing ;  holy 
and  reverend  is  His  name ! 

"  In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  the  prisons  of  the  galley- 
slaves.  They  are  dismal  places  indeed.  The  stone 
arches  and  the  walls  are  black  and  sooty ;  for  they 
have  sometimes  a  little  fire  in  the  prison,  which  is  very 
damp,  and  as  there  is  no  chimney,  the  walls,  that  have 
not  been  swept  for  many  years,  have  a  dismal  appear- 


IN  SO  UTHERN  ITALY,  185 

ance.  The  water  they  drink  is  drawn  from  a  well  in 
the  prison.  What  they  spill  of  it,  and  the  rain  that 
comes  in  through  the  iron  gratings,  causes  the  mud  to 
be  shoe  deep.  They  are  so  crowded  that  when  they 
lie  down  on  the  planks  placed  over  their  benches  they 
completely  cover  the  whole  surface  ;  and  all  cannot  be 
accommodated.  Many  are  obliged  to  place  their  planks 
on  the  mud,  under  the  others.  They  are  chained  by 
the  leg,  two  and  two,  so  that  their  position  is  very  un- 
comfortable. Many  of  them  have  thus  been  con- 
fined several  years.  Some  young  men,  chained  to 
older  ones,  were  brought  to  that  prison  when  they  were 
only  twelve  years  of  age  !  In  no  country  have  I  seen 
so  many  youthful  criminals.  The  only  yard  to  which 
some  of  them  may  resort  for  a  few  moments  is  but 
twenty  feet  square.  I  found  some  tenderness  of  spirit 
among  a  few  of  the  prisoners.  There  are  about  six 
thousand.  My  feelings  were  overpowered  ;  the  foul- 
ness of  the  air  also  greatly  affected  me.  But  if,  by 
my  suffering,  I  can  open  a  way  for  some  relief  to 
them,  it  will  administer  consolation  to  my  sorrow. 
Some  of  these  poor  people  seemed  as  if  they  could 
not  believe  their  own  ears,  when  I  imparted  to  them 
the  encouragements  which  the  gospel  holds  out  to 
penitent  sinners :  that  although  their  sins  were  as  scar- 
let, or  of  a  crimson  dye,  yet  the  Lord,  in  His  love  and 
mercy,  could  make  them  as  snow  or  wool. 

"  I  met  at  the  Count  Stackelberg's  the  Russian  min- 
ister and  several  Prussian  and  Russian  noblemen  ; 
some  of  these  I  had  been  with  in  Russia ;  the  Lord 
made  way  once  more  to  proclaim  among  them  the  un- 


18G  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

searchable  riches  of  His  love  through  Jesus  Christ, 
and  to  entreat  them  not  to  be  hearers  only  of  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  gospel,  but  so  to  believe  as  to  obey. 

"  23rd.  I  was  a  third  time  with  the  Chevalier  de 
Medici.  I  had  sent  him  a  statement  of  some  of  my 
observations,  particularly  among  the  insane,  and  in 
some  cf  the  prisons  ;  and  I  have  now  laid  before  him 
the  situation  of  the  galley  slaves.  He  took  such  an 
interest  in  what  I  stated  in  my  former  report,  and  his 
feelings  were  so  touched,  that  attention  was  im- 
mediately given  to  it ;  some  places  have  already  been 
cleansed,  ventilators  are  opened,  boys  are  removed 
from  the  other  prisoners,  their  irons  are  changed  for 
lighter  ones,  etc.,  etc.  And  now  he  appears  disposed, 
with  equal  promptitude,  to  have  a  complete  change 
made  in  the  prisons  of  the  galley  slaves,  and  at  once 
to  have  the  boys  removed  elsewhere.  Should  my 
deep  sufferings  in  these  visits  have  no  other  effect 
than  thus  to  mitigate  the  bodily  tortures  under  which 
some  of  these,  my  fellow-beings,  have  suffered  for 
years,  I  am  richly  repaid ;  may  it  not  be  for  one  of 
these  ends  that  the  Lord  is  opening  a  door  of  access 
for  me  to  plead  with  men  in  authority  ?  or  that  whilst 
the  hearts  of  some  of  these  are  tendered,  under  a 
sense  of  the  Lord's  mercies  towards  them,  they  may 
become  disposed  to  acts  of  mercy  towards  others  ?  I 
hope  also  that  some  of  the  poor  prisoners  will  find 
consolation  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  whose  mercies  have 
been  proclaimed  to  them.  Bonaprianola,  Prince  Car- 
dito,  and  a  number  of  others,  appear  so  to  feej  for  that 
class  of  men  as  to  be  willing  to  visit  the  prisoners 


IN  SO UTIIERN  ITALY.  1 87 

henceforth,  and  to  impart  to  th^m  moral  and  religious 
instruction.  I  particularly  recommended  to  them  the 
juvenile  offenders.  I  had  a  precious  meeting  with 
these  benevolent  persons,  together  with  a  large  com- 
pany of  those  with  whom  I  had  been  previously  in 
more  select  or  public  religious  opportunities ;  it  was  a 
solemn  parting  meeting. 

"  I  feel  now  as  if  I  must  hasten  to  Rome ;  various 
objects,  under  other  circumstances,  might  claim  a  few 
days  of  my  time;  Vesuvius  displays  a  grand  sight; 
in  the  day,  thick  columns  of  smoke  rise  up  to  a  con- 
siderable height,  at  night  they  are  blazing  pillars  ;  at 
a  short  distance  from  here  are  excavations  made  into 
the  streets  of  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii,  long  buried 
under  beds  of  lava,  on  which  vineyards  are  now 
planted;  but,  though  as  a  man  I  should  be  greatly  in- 
terested in  visiting  them,  they  are  not  the  objects  for 
which  my  great  and  blessed  Master  has  sent  me  to 
these  nations.  With  singleness  of  heart  I  must  pro- 
secute the  business  to  which  He  has  called  me.  My 
bonds  for  Rome  •  also  feel  so  heavy,  that  I  could  not 
have  any  pleasure  in  those  things  which,  were  I  dif- 
ferently circumstanced,  would  interest  me  so  much. 
It  has  indeed  been  so  with  me  for  years  past ;  though 
in  the  course  of  my  travels  I  am  among,  or  pass  near, 
objects  of  great  curiosity,  and  I  have  from  early  life 
taken  great  interest  in  such  things,  yet  the  discipline 
under  which  the  Lord  has  kept  me,  and  the  weight  of 
the  religious  service  to  which  He  has  called  me.  have 
been  such  that  I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  turn  out  of 


183  STEPHEN'  GRELLET. 

my  way  in  travelling,  or  to  tarry  longer  in  any  place, 
merely  to  gratify  myself." 

It  is  astonishing  how  opportunities  will  offer  them- 
selves to  a  man  absorbed  in  one  grand  intention  to 
help  and  bless  men.  It  is  also  very  instructive  to  ob- 
serve how  a  man  in  abiding  fellowship  with  the 
compassionate  God  finds  doors  open  for  usefulness  in 
a  city  where  all  avenues  of  Christian  testimony  ap- 
peared closed  against  him.  Surely  Christ  fulfils  His 
promise  of  being  with  His  own  servants  to  the  end 
of  the  age,  and  while  they  seek  nothing  great  for 
themselves.  He  preserves  them  in  grave  perils,  exalts 
them  by  His  guidance,  and  sheds  His  blessing  on 
their  words. 

"  No  service  in  itself  is  small, 

None  great,  though  earth  it  fill ; 

But  that  is  small  that  seeks  its  own, 

And  great  that  seeks  God's  will. 

Then  hold  my  hand,  most  gracious  Lord, 

Guide  all  my  goings  still ; 
And  let  this  be  my  life's  one  aim, 

To  do,  or  bear,  Thy  will." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

IN  ROME. 

WHEN  Mr.  Grellet  visited  Rome,  Pius  VII. 
was  in  the  last  years  of  his  pontificate.  In 
1804  he  had  crowned  Napoleon  at  Paris  ;  in  1809  he 
was  a  prisoner  at  Fontainebleau  ;  at  the  close  of  18 19 
he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty.  Stephen 
Grellet  found  the  Pope's  territory  infested  with 
banditti,  robberies  and  murders  of  constant  occurrence, 
and  every  few  miles  of  the  road  presenting  the 
horrible  sight  of  men  hanging  in  chains. 

On  his  arrival  he  presented  his  credentials  to  Car- 
dinal Consalvi,  prime  minister  of  the  Pope.  The 
cardinal  gave  him  a  private  interview  in  his  cabinet. 
Sitting  down  by  his  side  he  detained  him  an  hour  and 
a  half.  He  was  in  no  wise  offended  when  Mr.  Grellet 
spoke  freely  of  the  superstitions  he  had  witnessed  in 
Italy,  and  when  he  bore  witness  that  Jesus  Christ  the 
Saviour  of  men  was  the  only  Head  of  His  church. 
"  Before  we  parted,"  he  writes,  "  he  wished  to  know  in 
what  way  he  could  serve  me ;  I  told  him  that  I  should 
like  to  visit  the  prisons  and  public  establishments,  and 
should  be  obliged  if  he  would  procure  me  admittance 
to  them.     Having  promised  this,  he  took  me  by  the 

(189) 


190  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

hand  through  the  rows  of  persons  on  each  side,  wait- 
ing in  the  ante-chamber,  to  the  door  of  the  court." 

The  next  morning  he  went  to  the  Castle  of  St. 
Michael  with  his  letter  of  introduction.  "  The  gov- 
ernor of  the  castle  sent  for  a  young  man  to  accompany 
me :  from  the  first  my  heart  inclined  to  this  young 
man.  He  has  been  chastened  by  the  loss  of  his  wife 
within  a  few  weeks,  who,  I  am  told,  was  a  beautiful 
and  virtuous  young  woman  ;  he  speaks  good  French. 
He  went  with  me  to  several  prisons  for  the  galley 
slaves,  and  to  the  secret  prison;  here  they  have  a 
complete  system  of  espionage ;  the  cells  are  so  con- 
structed that  they  succeed  in  becoming  acquainted 
with  what  the  prisoners  say  to  one  another.  They 
have  very  high  ceilings,  in  which  there  is  an  opening, 
which  appears  to  be  intended  only  for  a  ventilator,  but 
here  a  man  is  stationed  who  can  hear  nearly  every 
word  spoken  in  the  cell.  They  place  in  the  same  cell 
such  as  have  been  connected  together  in  crimes,  that 
they  may  be  encouraged  to  converse  with  each  other. 
The  person  whose  business  it  is  to  hearken  to  what 
the  prisoners  say  is  particularly  attentive  to  be  at  his 
station  before  the  prisoners  are  taken  out  to  be  inter- 
rogated, and  on  their  return  also  ;  on  which  occasions 
they  are  often  heard  to  agree  on  what  they  shall  say, 
and  to  talk  on  what  occurred  during  the  interrogation, 
and  thus  they  commit  themselves.  But  the  listener 
may  often  hear  indistinctly,  and  by  misrepresentation, 
though  without  evil  intention,  cause  these  men  to  be 
condemned  on  the  plea  that  they  have  avowed  their 
guilt;     By  their  laws  no  man  is  condemned  unless  he 


IN  ROME.  191 

confesses  himself  guilty,  and  by  this  plan  they  think 
they  obtain  such  an  acknowledgment;  some  years 
past  a  confession  was  extorted  by  the  cruelty  of 
torture.  I  saw  some  prisoners  confined  there  on  ac- 
count of  religion,  but  could  not  understand  for  what 
particulars ;  my  kind  attendant  is,  however,  very 
ready  in  interpreting  for  me  whenever  I  request  him, 
and  during  some  communications  I  made  through 
him  in  several  cells,  some  of  the  prisoners  were 
tender." 

For  some  days  he  was  occupied  in  visiting  the 
Roman  prisons  and  hospitals.  It  was  with  great 
physical  exhaustion  he  did  this.  His  heart  was  filled 
with  distress  at  the  sufferings  he  daily  witnessed.  The 
rule  of  the  priests  was  one  of  rigorous  repression ; 
the  reaction  against  this  led  to  perpetual  vice  and 
crime;  and  these  were  followed  by  cruel  imprison 
ments.  It  was  an  iron  reign  of  terror,  with  only  here 
and  there  a  gleam  of  mercy.  "  I  visited,"  he  observes, 
"two  large  hospitals  called  St.  Spirito  and  St.  Charles  ; 
and  a  large  poorhouse,  where,  besides  aged  people, 
there  are  four  hundred  boys  and  five  hundred  girls. 
I  had  several  religious  opportunities,  in  some  of  which 
sensibility  was  apparent.  I  was  also  in  a  prison  where 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  brigands  are  confined. 
They,  and  their  wives  and  children,  were  routed  out 
of  their  habitations,  and  are  intended  to  be  settled  in 
distant  places.  Some  of  them  may  be  innocent.  The 
tenderness  manifested  during  the  religious  opportunity 
I  had  with  them  may  perhaps  induce  me  to  entertain 
such  a  sentiment.     I  was  pleased  with  a  retreat  for 


192  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

convalescent  persons.  They  are  sent  here  from  the 
hospitals,  where,  for  about  two  weeks  previous  to  their 
final  discharge,  they  have  good  nourishing  food  given 
them,  that  they  may  get  strength  to  proceed  in  the 
necessary  business  of  life.  The  meeting  I  had  among 
them  was  a  peculiarly  tendering  season.  Adjoining 
to  this  is  a  spacious  place  for  the  reception  of  pilgrims 
travelling  to  various  parts,  even  such  as  go  to  Jerusa- 
lem. Here  they  remain  a  longer  or  shorter  time  to 
rest,  according  to  the  length  of  the  journey  they  have 
come,  or  have  to  go.  The  apartments  for  men  and 
women  are  entirely  separate.  In  each  place  are  large 
marble  basins,  some  for  washing  the  feet  only  (for 
the  pilgrims  travel  barefoot),  others  for  baths,  into 
which  warm  and  cold  water  may  be  let  in,  to  the  lik- 
ing of  the  pilgrim.  They  have  also  good  beds  and 
food  provided  for  them.  It  is  very  common  for  men 
and  women  of  rank  (priests,  bishops  or  cardinals),  at 
least  once  a  year,  to  repair  here  and  wash  the  feet  of 
the  travellers,  also  to  serve  them  during  their  meals. 
They  consider  such  acts  as  very  meritorious.  The 
eating-room  is  large  and  lofty. 

"  This  has  been  another  day  of  very  close  engage- 
ment and  mental  suffering.  I  visited  a  prison,  said  to 
be  a  place  of  correction  for  boys ;  very  imposing  was 
the  sight  on  my  first  entering,  accompanied  by  several 
priests  belonging  to  this  establishment  and  others  con- 
nected with  it,  as  they  were  giving  a  glowing  descrip- 
tion of  the  great  reform  that  they  were  instrumental 
in  effecting.  The  lofty  apartment  I  was  in  is  about 
two  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  forty  in  height.     On 


IN  ROMF.  193 

both  sides  of  this  room  were  small  chambers  ;  opposite 
to  each  door  was  a  boy,  cleanly  dressed,  with  a  spin 
ning  wheel;  all  seemed  industrious,  and  profound 
silence  prevailed  among  them.  It  seemed  to  be  a 
pleasant  sight ;  but,  casting  my  eyes  downward,  I  ob- 
served that  every  boy  had  a  chain  at  his  ankle, 
allowing  him  to  go  only  from  his  cell  to  his  wheel ! 
Then  I  beheld  several  inclined  blocks,  with  stocks  to 
confine  hands  and  feet,  and  knotted  cords  and  whips 
near  them.  Inquiring  the  meaning  of  all  this :  'Oh,' 
said  the  priests,  '  these  are  the  places  where  they  re- 
ceive their  correction  morning  and  evening,  on  their 
bare  back.'  '  Is  this,'  I  queried,  '  the  method  whereby 
you  bring  about  such  great  reform  among  these  boys  ? 
You  may  indeed  excite  the  angry  passions  in  them, 
by  such  doings,  but  you  will  never  change  their  evil 
heart.'  In  another  part  I  was  with  women  and  girls, 
towards  whom  similar  treatment  is  used,  to  reform 
them  from  their  vicious  habits.  My  endeavors  to 
plead  with  these  priests,  and  to  set  before  them  the 
ways  that  a  Christian  spirit  would  dictate,  and  which, 
through  the  Lord's  blessing,  might  prove  efficacious 
to  the  recovery  of  these  young  persons,  have,  I  fear, 
had  very  little  place  with  them. 

"■  "29th.  I  had  a  suffering  night,  my  mind  was 
under  great  distress ;  I  feel  at  times  as  if  I  was  among 
lions  and  serpents,  and  as  if  I  was  treading  over  scor- 
pions ;  and  yet,  amidst  these  feelings,  it  is  laid  upon 
me  to  try  to  visit  the  Inquisition,  thus  to  go  into  the 
lion's  den." 

A  few  days  after  these  visits  he  sought  another  in- 


194  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

terview  with  Consalvi,  and  stated  the  result  of  his 
observations,  and  desired  from  him  a  permission  to 
visit  the  Inquisition.  The  minister  could  not  grant 
this,  but  promised  his  endeavors  to  obtain  one.  The 
following  day  his  Journal  records : — "  I  visited  this 
day  a  large  college,  formerly  kept  by  the  Jesuits,  now 
banished  from  here;  there  are  about  six  hundred 
students  in  it.  There  I  was  among  many  priests  also  ; 
when  I  began  to  speak  some  of  the  young  men  were 
somewhat  rude,  but  very  soon  silence  and  seriousness 
spread  over  them.  The  Lord  helped  me  to  pro- 
claim the  everlasting  Truth  among  them.  Then  I 
went  to  another  school  for  four  hundred  boys,  where 
their  teacher,  a  very  feeling  man,  a  priest,  acted  as  my 
interpreter.  My  next  visit  was  to  a  nunnery,  which 
has  a  school  for  girls,  where  the  Lord  was  also  near, 
in  enabling  me  to  proclaim  His  holy  name;  the 
Superior  of  the  nuns  has  felt  the  Lord's  power,  she 
has  a  pious  mind.  It  is  marvellous  that,  though  these 
religious  services  bring  me  into  contact  with  so  many 
priests,  monks  and  nuns,  when  they  hear  doctrines  so 
new  to  them,  which  also  strike  at  the  root  of  popery, 
no  one  has  yet  made  an  objection ;  but  on  my  taking 
leave  of  them,  they  treat  me  with  kindness ;  some 
even  say  that  they  are  persuaded  that  it  is  the  love  of 
Christ  that  constrains  me  to  visit  them.  I  had  a  sat- 
isfactory visit  from  a  young  priest,  a  prince  of  Rome 
and  Austria;  his  name  is  Charles  Odescalchi,  his 
uncle  is  nuncio  in  Spain.  I  thought,  on  seeing  this 
young  man,  that  there  was  something  lovely  in  him ; 
his  mind  was  brought  into  great  tenderness ;  I  can 


m  ROME.  195 

but  have  good  hope  of  him.  Three  pious  persons 
came  in  also  to  see  me ;  two  of  them  are  of  the 
monks  that  I  was  with  yesterday,  one  is  a  young- 
man.  J  had  a  full  opportunity  with  them ;  I  directed 
them  to  Christ  and  to  His  Spirit.  The  young  monk 
was  broken  into  tears.  In  many  of  these  oppor- 
tunities I  have  to  set  before  them  in  what  true  religion 
consists,  and  that  it  is  not  by  works  of  righteousness 
that  we  may  perform  that  we  can  be  saved,  but  by 
faith  only  in  the  free  grace  of  God,  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  only  Saviour  of  men. 

"  2nd.  I  was  occupied  very  late  last  night  in  pre- 
paring the  documents  that  Cardinal  Consalvi  wishes  to 
have,  relative  to  my  visits  to  their  public  establish- 
ments. I  apprehend  it  my  duty  to  expose  the 
various  abuses  that  I  have  observed,  and,  in  several 
instances,  misapplication  of  money  designed  for  acts 
of  benevolence ;  I  represent  also  the  sufferings  of 
many  of  the  prisoners  in  small,  dark,  crowded  rooms, 
and  the  heavy  chains  on  them  which  are  not  removed 
from  some  of  them  till  after  death ;  I  saw  some,  greatly 
reduced  by  long  illness,  who  nevertheless  wore  their 
heavy  chains." 

From  Cardinal  Consalvi  Mr.  Grellet  wished  for  an 
introduction  to  the  Pope.  The  Cardinal  asked  him 
if  it  would  not  satisfy  him  to  be  introduced  at  court. 
Mr.  Grellet  replied  that  he  was  no  courtier,  nor  desired 
anything  further  than  to  be  with  the  Pontiff  in  private. 
Thence  he  went  to  Father  Mirandi,  the  head  of  the 
Inquisition.  Consalvi  had  desired  that  the  chief  in- 
quisitor would  give  every  information  respecting  the 


196  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

manner  in  which  the  Inquisition  was  formerly  con- 
ducted, and  would  open  to  the  visitor  every  part  of  it. 
Mirandi  sent  his  own  secretary  with  Mr.  Grellet,  who 
thus  describes  his  visit. 

"The  Inquisition  stands  very  near  the  Church  of 
St.  Peter.  The  entrance  is  in  a  spacious  yard,  in  which 
nothing  is  in  view  but  extensive  and  sumptuous  build- 
ings, containing  their  very  large  library,  paintings,  etc. 
On  the  left  hand  is  a  door  hardly  to  be  noticed,  which 
opens,  through  a  very  thick  wall,  into  an  open  place, 
round  which  are  buildings  of  three  stories,  with  many 
cells ;  the  doors  of  all  these  open  into  passages  front- 
ing the  yard.  These  cells,  or  small  prisons,  are  very 
strongly  built ;  the  walls  are  of  great  thickness,  all 
arched  over.  Some  were  appropriated  to  men,  others 
to  women.  There  was  no  possibility  for  any  of  the 
inmates  to  see  or  communicate  with  each  other.  The 
prison  where  Molinos  was  confined  was  particularly 
pointed  out.  I  visited  also  the  prisons,  or  cellars 
underground,  and  was  in  the  place  where  the  Inquisi- 
tors sat  and  where  tortures  were  inflicted  on  the  poor 
sufferer;  but  everything  bore  marks  that,  for  many 
years,  these  abodes  of  misery  had  not  been  at  all 
frequented.  As  we  went  on  I  heard  the  secretary  say 
something  to  my  interpreter  about  the  Secret  Library; 
I  therefore  asked  him  to  take  me  there.  He  took  me 
to  the  large  Public  Library.  I  told  him  this  was  not 
what  I  wished  to  see,  but  the  secret  one ;  he  hesitated, 
stating  that  it  was  a  secret  place,  where  there  could 
be  no  admittance;  that  the  priests  themselves  were 
not  allowed  to  enter  there.    I  told  him  that  the  orders 


IN  ROME.  197 

that  had  been  read  to  him  were  to  show  me  every- 
thing, that,  if  he  declined  to  show  me  this,  I  might 
also  conclude  that  he  kept  other  places  concealed 
from  me ;  that  therefore  I  could  not  contradict  the  re- 
ports I  had  heard,  even  in  Rome,  that  the  Inquisition 
Avas  secretly  conducted  with  the  ancient  rigor.  On 
which  he  brought  me  into  the  Secret  Library.  It  is  a 
spacious  place,  shelved  round  up  to  the  ceiling,  and 
contains  books,  manuscripts  and  papers,  condemned 
by  the  Inquisitors  after  they  have  read  them.  In  the 
fore  part  of  each  book  the  objections  to  it  are  stated 
in  general  terms,  or  a  particular  page  and  even  a  line 
is  referred  to,  dated  and  signed  by  the  Inquisitor,  so 
that  I  could  at  once  know  the  nature  of  the  objection 
to  any  book  on  which  I  laid  my  hands.  The  greater 
number  of  manuscripts  appear  to  have  been  written 
in  Ireland.  Some  of  them  contain  very  interesting 
matter,  and  evince  that  the  writers  were,  in  many 
particulars,  learned  in  the  school  of  Christ.  I  could 
have  spent  days  in  that  place.  There  are  writings 
in  all  the  various  modern  and  ancient  languages,  Eu- 
ropean, Asiatic,  Arabic,  Grecian,  etc.,  etc.,  all  arranged 
separately,  in  order.  I  carefully  looked  for  Friends' 
books,  but  found  none ;  there  are  many  Bibles  in  the 
several  languages ;  whole  editions  of  some  thousand 
volumes  of  the  writings  of  Molinos.  After  spending  a 
long  time  in  this  place  of  much  interest,  the  Secretary 
said,  '  You  must  come  and  see  my  own  habitation.'  I 
thought  he  meant  the  chamber  that  he  occupies ;  but  he 
brought  me  to  spacious  apartments  where  the  archives 
of  the  Inquisition  are  kept,  and  where  is  the  Secre- 


19g  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

tairerie.  Here  are  the  records  of  the  Inquisition  for 
many  centuries,  to  the  present  time.  I  looked  in 
some  of  their  books  from  the  fifteenth  century.  They 
are  kept  as  the  books  of  a  merchant's  journal  and 
ledger,  so  that  looking  in  the  ledger  for  any  name, 
and  turning  thence  to  the  various  entries  of  the 
journal,  a  full  statement  is  found,  from  the  entrance 
of  the  poor  sufferer  into  the  Inquisition  to  the  time 
of  his  release  or  death,  and  in  what  way  it  took  place, 
by  fire  or  other  tortures,  or  by  natural  death.  The 
kind  of  tortures  he  underwent  at  each  examination  is 
described,  and  also  what  confessions  were  extorted 
from  him.  All  these  books  are  alphabetically  ar- 
ranged. By  examining  those  of  late  date  to  the 
present  day,  I  find  that  the  statement  given  me  by 
Father  Miranda  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Inquisi- 
tion is  now  conducted  is  entirely  correct.  I  could 
have  spent  days  in  this  place  also ;  but  the  examina- 
tion of  some  of  the  books  of  several  centuries  gave  a 
pretty  full  view  of  the  whole  subject." 

It  is  very  interesting  to  find  that  many,  wearied 
with  the  superstitions,  sorrows  and  vices  around  them, 
were,  through  the  ever-pervading  presence  of  the 
pitying  Spirit  of  God,  inquiring  the  way  of  life,  and, 
on  finding  that  Mr.  Grellet  was  in  Rome,  came  to  him 
privately,  to  express  their  loss  of  confidence  in  priests 
and  in  outward  observances,  and  to  ask  what  they 
must  do  to  find  real  peace.  Among  others  was  a 
young  Prince  Odescalchi  who  had  established  a  night 
retreat  in  Rome  for  every  one  who  chose  to  come  in 
the  evening.      "  No   question   is  asked  who  the  in- 


Ilf  ROME.  199 

dividual  is,  where  he  comes  from,  nor  if  he  was  there 
before.  There  are  separate  buildings  for  the  accom- 
modation of  men  and  women ;  in  each  place  are 
spacious  baths  ;  provision  is  also  made  for  those  who 
have  cutaneous  diseases,  to  be  fumigated.  They  all 
repair  to  a  place  of  worship,  where  the  Prince  ad- 
dresses them  on  subjects  calculated  to  impress  senti- 
ments of  morality  and  virtue.  Those  present,  he 
says,  are  generally  well  known  to  be  immoral  and 
vicious  characters ;  preaching  to  them  was  not  cus- 
tomary, till  lately  introduced  by  the  Prince,  who 
appears  to  feel  deeply  for  this  poor  and  wretched  class 
of  the  community.  They  all  come  afterwards  to  the 
refectory,  where  supper  is  given  them,  and  beds  are 
provided  for  all.  In  the  morning  they  have  water  to 
wash,  and  their  breakfast  before  they  disperse.  Many 
of  them  return  again  in  the  evening,  especially  when 
the  weather  is  stormy,  or  they  have  not  been  success- 
ful in  begging  to  obtain  sufficient  to  eat.  Sometimes 
this  establishment  has  four  thousand  inmates  during 
the  night.  It  was  a  well-meant  institution,  but  the 
good  intention  has  been  much  perverted;  yet  the 
pious  labors  of  the  young  Prince  may  prove  a  blessing 
to  some." 

"  9th.  This  morning  I  had  a  message  from  Cardinal 
Consalvi  to  call  upon  him  before  he  went  up  to  the 
Pope,  which  is  at  seven  a.  m.  I  went  accordingly. 
He  well  knows  the  dissatisfaction  of  some  of  the  car- 
dinals and  others  towards  him,  but  says  it  may  do 
good  eventually,  that  for  his  part  he  is  fully  disposed 
to  serve  me  in  what  he   can  here  ;  or,  after  my  depar- 


200  STEPHEN  GRELLET 

ture,  whenever  he  can  do  it.  He  further  said,  that  it 
is  very  proper  that  I  should  be  with  the  Pope  before 
I  leave  Rome,  and  requested  me  to  wait  for  his  return 
from  his  apartment,  when  he  might  tell  me  what  time 
the  Pope  will  receive  me.  I  had,  whilst  waiting,  an 
interesting  time  with  Capacini,  and  other  secretaries, 
etc.  Their  inquiries  led  me  particularly  to  speak  of 
the  influences  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  a  gift  freely  dis- 
pensed of  God,  which  man's  wisdom,  learning  or 
power  cannot  obtain  for  himself;  much  less  can  he 
dispense  it  to  others :  by  it  only  the  deep  things  of 
God  can  be  known ;  by  it  acceptable  worship  is  per- 
formed, qualification  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  is 
received;  the  apostles  were,  by  this,  rendered  able 
ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  not  of  the  letter 
but  of  the  spirit.  This  brought  me  to  state  that  the 
popes,  cardinals,  bishops,  etc.,  in  their  ordination  of 
ministers  or  priests,  cannot  confer  upon  them  spiritual 
gifts,  neither  have  they  themselves  any  in  virtue  of 
their  stations;  but  Christ  Jesus,  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  is  the  giver  of  spiritual  gifts,  and  with  His 
Divine  anointing  He  gives  power;  He  alone  can 
forgive  sin,  He  only  is  the  Saviour  of  men.  They 
were  all  very  serious  whilst  these  and  other  sub- 
jects of  vital  importance  were  treated  upon;  that 
of  the  mass,  confession,  absolution,  indulgences,  etc.^ 
were  also  adverted  to.  The  cardinal  came  down, 
and  said  the  Pope  would  see  me  at  twelve  o'clock. 
He  knew  that  the  courrier  by  which  I  had  taken 
my  seat  for  Florence  was  to  start  at  one  o'clock ; 
but,    said    he,    '  take    no   thought    about    that ;    the 


IN  ROME.  201 

conrricr  shall  not  go  till  you  are  ready;'  he  also 
said  that  Capacini  would  be  here  in  time  to  wait 
on  me  upstairs,  and  that  he  had  provided  one  of 
his  friends,  approved  by  the  Pope,  who  would>  if 
necessary,  serve  as  interpreter,  and  moreover  be  a 
witness  to  correct  any  misrepresentation  that  envious 
spirits  might  attempt  to  make.  I  returned  to  the 
palace  at  the  time  designated.  L'Abbe"  Capacini  was 
waiting  for  me ;  we  went  upstairs,  through  several 
apartments,  in  which  were  the  military  body-guard  • 
for  the  popes  are,  as  kings  of  Rome,  both  earthly 
princes  and  heads  of  the  church.  Thence  we  en- 
tered into  the  private  apartments ;  the  hangings  about 
the  windows,  coverings  of  the  chairs,  etc.,  were  all 
of  brown  worsted,  or  silk  of  the  same  color;  all 
very  plain.  In  a  large  parlor  were  several  priests ; 
among  these,  the  one  provided  by  Consalvi  to  go 
in  with  me  to  the  Pope.  One,  dressed  like  a  car- 
dinal, but  who  is  the  Pope's  valet  de  chambre,  opened 
the  door  of  his  cabinet,  and  said  in  Italian,  '  The 
Quaker  has  come ;'  when  the  Pope  said, 

'Let  him  come  in;'  on  which  the  priest,  who  was  to 
act  as  interpreter,  led  me  in,  no  one  else  being  present ; 
as  I  was  entering  the  door,  some  one  behind  me  gently, 
but  quickly,  took  off  my  hat,  and  before  I  could  look 
for  it,  the  door  wt  s  quietly  closed  upon  us  three.  The 
Pope  is  an  old  man  ;  very  thin,  of  a  mild,  serious  coun- 
tenance. The  whole  of  his  apartment  is  very  plain. 
He  was  sitting  before  a  table  ;  his  dress  was  a  long 
robe  of  fine  white  worsted,  and  a  small  cap  of  the  same 
(the  cardinals  have  it  red)  ;  he  had  a  few  papers  and 


202  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

books  before  him  ;  he  rose  from  his  seat  when  I  came 
in,  but  as  he  is  but  feeble  he  soon  sat  down  again.  He 
had  read  my  reports  to  the  cardinal  respecting  many  of 
the  visits  I  had  made  in  Rome,  to  prisons,  etc.  ;  he  en- 
tered feelingly  on  some  of  these  subjects,  and  intends  to 
see  that  the  treatment  of  prisoners  and  of  the  poor  boys 
in  the  house  of  correction,  and  various  other  subjects 
that  I  have  mentioned,  should  be  attended  to,  so  that 
Christian  tenderness  and  care  be  exercised ;  means,  as 
he  said,  more  likely  to  succeed  to  promote  reform 
among  them  than  harsh  treatment.  He  reprobates  the 
conduct  of  their  missi  naries  in  Greece ;  also  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Holy  Scriptures  by  the  priests  and  bishops 
in  several  places  ;  he  acknowledges,  like  Consalvi,  that 
it  militates  much  against  the  promotion  of  true  Chris- 
tianity, and  is  more  likely  further  to  darken  the  minds 
of  the  mass  of  the  people  than  to  enlighten  them.  On 
the  subject  of  the  Inquisition,  he  said,  he  was  pleased 
I  had  seen  for  myself  what  great  changes  had  been 
brought  about  in  Rome,  in  this  respect ;  that  it  was 
a  long  time  before  he  could  have  it  effected  ;  that  he 
has  made  many  efforts  to  have  similar  alterations  intro- 
duced into  Spain  and  Portugal ;  had  succeeded  in  part 
to  have  the  Inquisition  in  those  nations  conducted  with 
less  rigor,  but  was  far  from  having  yet  obtained  his 
wishes.  'Men,'  he  said,  'think  that  a  Pope  has  pleni- 
tude of  power  in  his  hands,  but  they  are  much  mistak- 
en ;  my  hands  are  greatly  tied  in  many  things ;'  he, 
however,  expressed  his  hope  that  the  time  was  not  far 
distant  when  Inquisitions  everywhere  will  be  totally 
done  away.     He  assented  to  the  sentiment  that  God 


IN  ROME  203 

alone  has  a  right  to  control  the  conscience  of  man,  and 
that  the  weapons  of  a  Christian  should  not  be  carnal 
but  spiritual.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  being  described, 
he  said  that  to  produce  such  and  for  the  same  end,  spirit- 
ual weapons  should  be  used.  I  represented  to  him 
what  I  had  beheld  in  many  places  in  Europe,  and  the 
West  Indies,  of  the  depravity  and  vices  of  many  priests 
and  monks,  what  a  reproach  they  are  to  Christianity, 
and  what  corruption  they  are  the  means  of  spreading 
widely  over  the  mass  of  the  people.  I  then  stated  what 
is  the  sacred  office  of  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  a  priest  of  God  :  what  the  qualifications  for  that 
office  should  be,  and  who  alone  can  bestow  them.  As 
I  was  speaking  on  these  and  other  subjects  connected 
therewith,  the  Pope  said  several  times,  on  looking  at 
the  priest  present,  ' These  things  are  true'  ;  and  the 
priest's  answer  was, '  They  are  so.'  Other  subjects  were 
treated  upon,  as  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  government 
of  Christ  in  His  church,  to  whom  alone  the  rule  and  do- 
minion belong ;  that  I  Ie  is  the  only  door,  the  only  Sav- 
iour, and  that  those  who  attempt  to  enter  in  by  any  other 
door  but  Him  are  accounted  as  thieves  and  robbers. 
Finally,  as  I  felt  the  love  of  Christ  flowing  in  my  heart 
towards  him,  I  particularly  addressed  him  ;  I  alluded 
to  the  various  sufferings  he  underwent  from  the  hands  of 
Napoleon,  the  deliverance  granted  him  from  the  Lord ; 
and  queried  whether  his  days  were  not  lengthened  out 
to  enable  him  to  glorify  God,  and  exalt  the  name  of  the 
Lord  our  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  Head  of 
the  church,  the  only  Saviour,  to  whom  alone  every  knee 
is  to  bow  and  every  tongue  is  to  confess  ;  that  such  a 


204  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

confession  from  him,  in  his  old  age,  would  do  more 
towards  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom  and  the 
promotion  of  His  glory  than  the  authority  of  all  the 
popes,  his  predecessors,  was  ever  able  to  do ;  more- 
over, that  thereby  his  sun,  now  near  setting,  would  go 
down  with  brightness,  and  his  portion  in  eternity  would 
be  with  the  sanctified  ones,  in  the  joys  of  his  salvation. 
The  Pope,  whilst  I  thus  addressed  him,  kept  his  head 
inclined  and  appeared  tender ;  then  rising  from  his  seat, 
in  a  kind  and  respectful  manner,  he  expressed  a  desire 
that  'the  Lord  would  bless  and  protect  me  wherever  I 
go;'  on  which  I  left  him. 

"  On  returning  to  the  other  apartment,  my  hat  was 
given  me,  and  excuses  were  made  for  having  taken  it 
away,  stating  that,  as  this  is  done  when  our  Friends 
appear  before  the  king  in  England,  they  thought  they 
could  not  do  otherwise  on  the  present  occasion.  They 
also  said :  '  The  Pope  must  have  been  much  pleased 
with  your  visit,  for  we  have  never  known  him  give  one 
half  so  much  time  to  anybody  in  a  private  audience 
nor  conversing  with  them,  as  he  has  done  with  you.* 
My  soul  magnifies  the  Lord,  my  strength  and  my 
help.  The  work  is  His,  and  the  glory  also!  May 
He  bless  the  work  of  His  own  hands  ! 

"  The  priest  who  was  with  me  before  the  Pope  was 
very  tender,  and  has  now  taken  leave  of  me  in  great 
affection.  Consalvi  met  me  as  I  came  down  from  the 
Pope's  apartment.  He  renewed  the  expression  of  his 
desire  to  serve  me  whenever  he  can;  and,  in  Christian 
love,  we  took  a  solemn  farewell  of  one  another. 
f>  "I  came  to  my  inn  to  prepare  for  my  journey;  it- 


IN  ROME.  205 

was  a  considerable  time  after  the  hour  at  which  the 
courrier  usually  sets  off;  but  when  I  came  to  the  post- 
house,  I  met  one  of  the  attendants  of  the  cardinal,  who 
told  me  that  the  courrier  had  orders  to  wait  for  me ; 
that  therefore,  I  need  not  hurry  myself.  I  was,  how- 
ever, ready  to  go." 

It  was  an  altogether  unprecedented  event  that  a 
faithful  witness  for  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  Chris^ 
tian  faith  and  worship  should  have  had  this  free  ac- 
cess to  the  Vatican  and  other  palaces  of  church  dig- 
nitaries. His  singleness  of  aim  and  purity  of  purpose, 
his  disinterested  devotedness  and  integrity  in  the 
discharge  of  an  apprehended  duty,  made  a  deep  im- 
pression. The  poorest  of  the  poor,  the  most  wretched 
criminals  in  miserable  cells,  as  well  as  princes,  nobles, 
and  priests,  recognised  the  hallowed  sway  of  his  un- 
striving  and  holy  influence.  Opposition  was,  how? 
ever,  awakened  from  less  liberal  cardinals  and  inferior 
officials.  It  is  probable  that,  had  he  remained  much 
longer  near  the  Vatican,  his  further  progress  would 
have  been  interrupted.  No  man  is  in  the  Divine  order, 
who  courts  persecution.  Providence  must  interpret 
God's  will. 

Travelling  night  and  day,  he  arrived  at  Florence  on 
the  nth  of  December,  1819.  His  mission  in  that  city 
of  beauty,  and  afterwards  in  Leghorn,  Venice.  Verona, 
and  other  Italian  cities,  was  one  of  mercy. 

And  here  again  let  it  be  noted  that  if  Stephen  Grellet 
visited  in  palaces,  and  had  access  to  distinguished  po- 
tentates in  an  altogether  unexampled  manner,  his  main 
work  was  among  sufferers.     Let  us  note  those  great 


2r>0  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

words  of  the  prophet  concerning  the  Messiah  :  "  He 
shall  cause  judgment  to  go  forth  in  truth;  He  shall 
not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He  have  set  judgment 
in  the  earth.  "  The  one  prevailing  wrong  in  the  earth 
through  all  the  ages  has  been  injustice.  In  the  days 
when  Mr.  Grellet  travelled  he  was  unable  to  follow  his 
Lord  in  the  promotion  of  judgment  and  justice,  ex- 
cept through  the  great  potentates  of  the  empires  he 
visited  ;  but  of  him  it  may  be  said,  as  Burke  eloquently 
said  of  Howard,  and  at  no  period  of  his  mission  more 
than  when  in  Central  Italy,  his  object  was  not  to  study 
art  or  find  pleasure  in  beauty,  "  but  to  dive  into  the 
depths  of  dungeons,  to  plunge  into  the  infection  of  hos- 
pitals, to  survey  the  mansions  of  sorrow  and  pain ;  to 
take  the  gauge  and  dimensions  of  misery,  depression, 
and  contempt :  to  remember  the  forgotten,  to  attend  to 
the  neglected,  to  visit  the  forsaken,  and  to  compare  and 
collate  the  distresses  of  all  men  in  all  countries. " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THIRD   VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

IT  has  been  observed  that  Mr.  Grellet's  Journal 
was  written  to  afford  information  of  the  way  in 
which  God  led  him,  to  his  relatives  and  to  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  who  gave  to  him  their  entire  and  most 
grateful  confidence.  It  is  more  the  record  of  his  out- 
ward than  of  his  inner  life.  Nevertheless  there  are 
glimpses  from  time  to  time  of  what  he  terms  "  the  ex- 
ercises of  his  soul "  as  he  pursued  his  apostolic  career. 
There  would  appear  to  have  been  prolonged  seasons 
of  humiliation,  watchings,  and  prayers  before  God- 
When  he  speaks  of  being  "  very  low,"  and  "  very 
poor,"  the  reference  is  clearly  to  his  hours  of  self 
prostration.  Sometimes,  as  he  entered  on  important 
engagements,  there  were  "  wrestlings  "  with  God  like 
Jacob's  at  Peniel,  as  the  patriarch  pleaded  that  the  re- 
proach and  punishment  of  his  great  act  of  deception 
towards  his  father  might  be  wiped  away,  and  whereby 
in  the  dawn  of  the  morning,  after  that  night  agony,  his 
name  was  changed  from  that  of  a  "  supplanter  "  to  that 
of  a  "  prince  with  God. "  Sometimes,  and  more  often, 
there  were  long  and  silent  waitings  on  God :  silent 
waitings,  when  the  soul  has  not  even  its  earnestness  and 
fervor  of  prayer  on  which  it  can  rely,  but  when  human 
(207) 


208  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

desires  and  self-will  are  annihilated,  and  God  becomes 
all  in  all.  No  attitude  is  more  fitted  to  the  creature  and 
more  blessed  than  this.  God  is  on  the  throne,  man  is  in 
the  dust.  In  such  fellowship  the  consciousness  of  a 
man  is  opened  in  a  way  human  philosophy  cannot 
explain  ;  unused  faculties  of  the  spirit  are  then  unsealed 
and  directed;  man  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Divine 
love,  and  is  freely  controlled  by  the  Divine  wisdom. 

There  were  two  convictions  perpetually  actuating 
Mr.  Grellet,  and  which  constantly  find  utterance  in  his 
journal  and  letters.  These  were  that  "  the  Lord  had  a 
seed  precious  in  His  sight  in  these  European  nations, * 
and  that  he  might  do  his  "  share  in  the  great  work  of 
refreshing  that  seed."  In  Bavaria  he  found  that  the 
persecutions  which  were  instigated  by  the  papal  priests 
were  sending  the  best  persons  out  of  the  kingdom. 
He  sought  out  these  harassed  ones  ;  he  testified  to  rich 
and  poor,  to  devout  nobles  and  pious  peasants,  that 
"  plausible  ceremonies  might  be  mere  pretentions  to 
religion."     Not  content  therewith  he  records : 

"  I  went  to  the  palace.  I  soon  saw  that  my  prayers 
had  been  heard ;  the  heart  of  the  King  was  opened 
towards  me.  I  had  proceeded  but  a  little  way  in  pleads 
ing  the  cause  of  his  persecuted  subjects,  on  account  of 
their  conscientious  scruples  against  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  when  the  King 
said  he  increasingly  felt  how  delicate,  tender  and 
important  that  subject  was ;  I  encouraged  him  to  take 
the  precepts  of  Christ  for  his  rule  in  the  Goverment  of 
his  kingdom,  and  to  seek  for  and  act  himself  under  the 
influence  of  His  Spirit.     I  made  particular  allusion  to 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE.  209 

perlious  times  in  which  he  had  lived,  and  the  deliver- 
ance granted  him  of  the  Lord  I  pressed  earnestly 
upon  him  the  necessity,  now  especially  in  his  advanced 
life,  to  spend  his  remaining  days  in  the  fear  of  God,  and 
in  acts  of  piety,  virtue,  mercy  and  justice,  desiring  that 
he  may  himself  obtain  mercy  and  favor  of  God,  and 
have  a  well  grounded  hope  that,  when  he  has  to  lay 
down  his  earthly  crown,  he  may  be  prepared  to  have  it 
exchanged  for  one  everlastingly  glorious.  The  King 
was  tender.  He  took  me  in  his  arms  with  affection, 
and  craved  that  the  Lord  may  grant  my  heart's  desire 
for  him,  and  bless  me  wherever  I  go. 

"After  this  I  was  with  the  Crown  Prince.  I  encour- 
aged him  to  adhere  closely  to  Christ  ;  to  follow  the 
light  by  which  things  reprovable  in  the  sight  of  God 
are  made  manifest,  for  the  commission  of  which  the 
Spirit  of  truth  condemns  us.  I  told  him  that  it  is  by  the 
Divine  Spirit  that  power  is  given  us  to  do,  or  cease  from 
doing,  what  we  cannot  in  our  own  will  and  strength. 
I  left  him  in  a  tender  state  of  mind.  I  then  went 
a  third  time  to  the  Minister  of  Finance,  and  had  a 
solemn  parting  opportunity  with  him  and  his  family.  I 
hope  that  the  King  and  his  Ministers,  and  the  Crown 
Prince  also,  are  strengthened  to  resist  being  any  longer 
made  the  tools  of  the  nuncio  of  the  Pope,  their  bishops, 
etc.,  in  the  oppression  of  the  pious  people  here. 

"  This  evening  a  large  number  met  me  once  more 
at  my  lodgings.  Among  them  was  again  the  young 
Prince  Oettingen.  The  Lord's  power  was  sweetly 
felt  to  be  over  us.  It  was  a  time  when  solemn  reso- 
lutions were  formed.     May  they  keep  their  covenants 


210  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

unbroken.  I  have  several  messages  from  persons  at 
court,  who  wish  me  to  visit  them  ;  but  I  believe  my 
work  here,  for  the  present,  has  come  to  an  end.  I 
commend  them  to  God,  and  the  word  of  His  grace, 
which  is  very  near  them.  He  can  do  the  work  for 
them.  All  that  the  Lord's  servants  can  do  is  to  direct 
men  to  Christ.    He  alone  is  the  Deliverer  and  Saviour." 

In  the  like  spirit  he  went  into  the  dominions  of  the 
King  of  Wurtemburg,  and  states  : 

"  On  coming  out  of  a  prison  I  was  met  by  the  Prince 
Kodalesky,  who  had  been  in  search  of  me  at  several 
places,  to  let  me  know  that  the  King  wished  to  see  me 
this  evening ;  being  then  not  far  from  the  palace,  I 
went  there  immediately,  though  I  had  not  taken  any 
refreshment  since  breakfast,  and  I  felt  much  spent  by 
the  close  engagements  of  the  day.  The  King  was 
alone,  waiting  for  me  ;  he  knew  that  I  was  in  Russia 
last  winter,  and  with  his  late  wife's  mother  and  her 
brother,  the  Emperor  Alexander,  a  few  days  after  they 
received  the  mournful  tidings  of  her  decease ;  he  con- 
tinues to  feel  deeply  his  great  bereavement ;  he  held 
me  by  the  hands,  whilst  large  tears  rolled  down  his 
cheeks.  The  best  proof,  said  he,  that  he  could  give 
how  much  he  honored  his  late  queen,  and  how  dear 
she  was  to  him,  was  to  endeavor  to  imitate  her  in  her 
piety  and  virtue,  and  also  to  keep  up  all  her  establish- 
ments of  benevolence  on  the  same  footing  that  she  had 
placed  them.  He  also  reverently  spoke  of  the  comfort 
the  Lord  extends  to  him,  in  the  assurance  that,  through 
His  mercy,  his  dear  departed  one  has  made  a  blessed 
exchange  in  passing  from  time  to  eternity,  so  that  his 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE.  211 

great  loss  is  her  unspeakable  gain.  His  mind  was 
open  to  receive  what  I  had  to  impart  of  the  consola- 
tions of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  of  the  good  hope 
that  the  Christian  believer  has,  when  he  shall  have 
fulfilled  the  days  of  his  earthly  probation.  I  endeav- 
ored to  encourage  him  so  to  live  and  act  as  to  honor 
the  Lord  during  the  residue  of  his  life,  and  to  promote 
by  his  example  and  precepts,  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  which  stands  in  righteousness, 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost;  that,  whatever 
other  kings  may  do,  he  may  resolve  to  seek  peace  and 
pursue  it;  to  be  very  tender  of  the  consciences  of  all 
his  subjects,  and  to  rule  over  them  in  the  fear  and  love 
of  God.  He  was  very  tender,  and  fully  acknowledged 
the  truth  of  what  I  said  to  him.  Before  I  left  him,  the 
King  asked  if  I  should  not  like  to  see  his  dear  mother- 
less children.  I  told  him  that  their  grandmother,  the 
Empress  dowager,  had  requested  me  to  do  so.  Then 
he  appointed  the  time  of  my  coming  again  to  the 
palace,  at  seven  to-morrow  evening. 

"  In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  palace  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour.  I  found  the  King  again  alone.  We 
conversed  for  about  half  an  hour  on  religious  sub- 
jects, particularly  on  such  as  pertain  to  that  salvation 
which  is  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  also  on  the  re- 
ligious and  moral  education  of 'the  youth  in  general. 
The  King  concludes  to  send  some  young  men  and 
women  to  London,  to  become  qualified  to  introduce 
here  schools  on  the  plan  of  mutual  instruction,  and 
to  have  the  *  Scripture  Lessons '  used  in  them,  having 
them  printed  in  German.     He  again  fully  expressed 


212  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

his  views  respecting  liberty  of  conscience,  and  has 
lately  acted  accordingly.  A  body  of  persons  had 
separated,  on  religious  grounds,  from  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  built  a  meeting  house  at  Kornthal.  Wil- 
liam Hoffmann,  a  member  of  the  Legislative  Body,  is 
one  of  the  principal  men  in  the  separation.  The  clergy 
in  a  body  waited  upon  the  King  to  request  him  to  dis- 
miss William  Hoffmann  from  his  public  office,  thereby 
to  manifest  his  disapprobation  of  his  conduct.  He 
told  them  that  he  could  not  do  any  such  thing,  that 
he  should  not  interfere  with  any  of  his  subjects  on 
account  of  their  religious  or  conscientious  views.  I 
told  the  King  that  I  had  heard  of  those  persons ;  that 
some  spoke  much  in  their  favor,  others  against  them ; 
and  that  I  had  it  under  consideration  to  go  and  see 
them  the  next  day.  The  King  encouraged  me  to  go, 
and  to  judge  for  myself.  He  then  asked  me  to  ac- 
company him  upstairs  to  the  nursery.  We  passed 
through  a  long  range  of  apartments,  all  richly 
furnished.  I  could  not  refrain  from  saying,  *  How 
many  unnecessary  wants  we  make  to  ourselves !'  We 
came  at  last  to  the  children's  apartments, — the  two 
little  princesses  by  his  late  queen,  and  her  two  sons 
by  the  Duke  of  Oldenburg.  Mary,  the  eldest  of  the 
princesses,  is  only  three  years  old,  and  yet  speaks 
good  English,  French  and  German;  her  sister  is 
only  eighteen  months  old.  The  King,  on  presenting 
them  to  me,  was  bathed  in  tears.  On  our  return  from 
the  nursery,  he  took  me  through  the  apartments  that 
the  Queen  used  to  occupy.  I  felt  the  love  of  the 
blessed  Redeemer  towards  him,  and    endeavored  to 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROTE.  213 

encourage  him  in  a  faithful  adherence  to  the  dictates 
of  the  Divine  Spirit,  and  day  by  day  to  wait  upon  the 
Lord,  that  he  may  receive  renewed  strength  to  perform 
the  vows  that  he  had  made  in  the  days  of  his  distress. 
He  would  follow  me  to  the  outer  door  of  the  palace, 
and,  on  parting,  desired  to  continue  to  have  a  place 
in  my  remembrance  and  prayers,  and  that  if  at  any 
time  he  could  serve  me  I  would  let  him  know.  This 
is  a  time  of  gracious  visitation  to  his  soul.  May  the 
Lord  prosper  His  work  with  him  ! 

"  I  am  greatly  bowed  down  before  the  Lord  whilst 
contemplating  His  power,  love  and  mercy.  I  behold 
the  efficacy  of  it  in  poorhouses  and  in  palaces, 
among  all  classes  of  men  of  every  nation  or  religious 
denomination.  The  works  of  the  Lord  in  every  part 
of  His  dominion  proclaim  His  gracious  and  power- 
ful name." 

Thus  he  went  on  to  Switzerland. 

"  I  visited  several  serious  families,  and  had  some 
religious  service  with  them." 

"  I  was  in  several  families  with  whom  I  had  religious 
opportunities.  I  had  also  two  meetings :  one  at  the 
venerable  aged  Antistes  Hess's." 

"  Geneva,  5th.  I  was  on  the  road  some  hours  be- 
fore daylight  this  morning.  On  arriving  here  I  was 
greatly  comforted  by  meeting  with  my  beloved  friend, 
William  Allen ;  he  could  not  obtain  a  passage  from 
Malta  for  France,  which  induced  him  to  come  by 
land  from  Italy  on  his  way  to  Paris  and  London  ;  he 
has  recovered  his  health.  It  is  cause  of  much  grati- 
tude that  we  thus  meet  again.    Now  we  are  permitted 


214  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

to  enjoy  very  sweetly  the  preciousness  of  fellowship 
in  our  Lord  and  Redeemer  Jesus  Christ,  and  had  a 
refreshing  and  consoling  time  together  in  prostration 
of  soul  before  Him. 

"  6th.  We  visited  together  several  pious  persons. 
In  the  evening  we  went  to  pastor  Moulinier's,  where 
we  had  appointed  a  meeting.  We  have  felt  very 
tenderly  for  him  and  pastor  Demalleyer ;  they  have 
to  endure  much  from  several  of  the  clergy  in  this 
place." 

Completing  such  engagements  among  the  Swiss, 
and  warning  faithfully  against  the  Socinianism  every- 
where seeking  to  undermine  faith  in  the  Divine 
Redeemer,  Stephen  Grellet  entered  France  once 
more.  The  same  object  was  still  laid  on  his  heart, 
as  he  travelled  through  his  native  land.  In  every 
place  to  which  he  came,  with  beautiful  brotherliness 
and  tenderness  he  sought  and  strengthened  faithful 
disciples.  Among  other  places  he  again  visited 
Brives,  and  writes : 

"Brives,  Third  Month  3th  1820.  I  am  greatly 
comforted  in  my  beloved  aged  mother,  now  above 
eighty  years  old.  Her  mind  is  clear,  and  she  is 
green  in  the  Divine  life.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  truly 
precious  to  her.  I  have  had  some  tendering  seasons 
with  her  and  my  other  near  relatives.  Some  of  them 
now  see  beyond  the  priests,  and  their  prescribed  forms 
and  ceremonies  in  religion. 

'*  6th.  I  had  some  satisfactory  meetings  with  the 
persons  I  visited  when  here  before,  and  especially 
with  the  dear  nuns. 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE.  215 

"  Limoges,  8th.  I  arrived  here  yesterday  morning. 
My  parting  with  my  beloved  mother  was  truly  solemn. 
It  may  probably  be  a  final  separation  here  on  earth. 
On  bended  knees,  my  soul  was  very  reverently 
prostrated  before  the  Lord,  and  I  was  engaged  in 
putting  up  my  supplications  unto  Him  for  her,  when, 
bathed  with  tears,  she  also  kneeled  down  by  me. 

"  My  distress  for  this  nation,  the  land  of  my  na- 
tivity, is  also  great.  I  see  blackness  hanging  over 
them.  The  Lord  will  overturn,  till  He  comes  and 
reigns,  whose  only  right  it  is.  Since  coming  here,  I 
have  had  several  religious  opportunities  in  the  families 
of  such  as  I  mingled  with  heretofore  in  religious  fel- 
lowship, and  some  meetings  of  a  more  public  nature. 
I  was  also  with  several  of  the  nuns ;  two  of  whom 
are  my  cousins,  who  retain  their  religious  tenderness. 

"  Paris,  14.  I  entered  this  great  city  with  a  heavy 
heart.  Darkness  and  impiety  prevail  to  a  lamentable 
extent.  But  the  Lord  has  a  remnant  even  here,  both 
among  the  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants,  who  are 
as  a  little  salt  among  them. 

In  the  same  spirit  he  came  over  to  England,  whither 
William  Allen  had  preceded  him.  Let  it  be  noticed, 
he  never  assumed  any  superior  knowledge  or  insight 
into  the  gospel  of  love.  The  language  of  the  apostle, 
to  Christians  at  Rome,  was  his  to  Christians  here:  "  I 
long  to  see  you  that  I  may  impart  unto  you  some 
spiritual  gift,  to  the  end  you  may  be  established ;  that 
is  [drawing  back  any  supposed  air  of  superiority], 
that  I  may  be  comforted  together  with  you  by  the 
mutual  faith  both  of  you  and  me."     He  tells  us  in 


216  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

one  place  what  his  message  to  such  was.  "  I  am  often 
reminded,"  he  says,  "of  the  language  of  Paul: 
1  Moreover,  brethren,  I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel 
which  I  preached  unto  you ;  by  which  also  ye  are 
saved,  if  ye  keep  in  memory  what  I  preached  unto 
you,  unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain.  For  I  de- 
livered unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received, 
how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  according  to  the 
Scriptures,  and  that  He  was  buried  and  that  He  rose 
again  the  third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures.' " 

It  would  however  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  his 
preaching  was  merely  elementary.  Dr.  C.  van  Ren- 
selaer,  the  eminent  Presbyterian  minister  of  Burling- 
ton, New  Jersey,  where  Mr.  Grellet  had  his  home, 
as  well  as  a  newspaper  of  that  place,  thus  spoke 
of  him : 

"  His  gospel  preaching  was  of  a  character  rarely 
equalled,  and  probably  nowhere  surpassed.  Its  chief 
characteristic  was  its  wonderful  vitality.  Perfectly 
free  from  every  trace  of  egotism,  he  preached  '  Jesus 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified.'  The  sufferings  of  his 
Lord  for  the  sake  of  sinful  man  deeply  and  abidingly 
affected  his  soul.  His  sermons  manifested  an  extra- 
ordinary originality,  scope  of  thought,  and  spiritual 
wealth.  With  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  and  with 
power,  he  illustrated  his  subjects  with  passages  brought 
from  various  parts  of  the  sacred  volume,  and  which 
the  hearer  found  presented  in  a  light  in  which  he 
never  saw  them  before.  Holding  all  mankind  as  his 
brethren,  his  public  ministry  and  prayers  evinced  his 
large-minded  sympathy  with  the  whole  human  race,- 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROrE.  217 

and  his  deep  interest  in  the  movements  among  the 
nations." 

Evidences  are  also  furnished  of  that  compassionate- 
ness  and  power  to  enter  into  the  feelings  of  others 
which  are  the  indispensable  elements  of  effective 
preaching.  "  A  heart  of  larger  sympathy,"  says  one, 
"  I  have  never  known,  or  one  more  ready  to  compre- 
hend'and  minister  unto  afflictions  which  were  care- 
fully concealed.  Whatever  was  the  sorrow  of  others, 
it  was  a  present  sorrow  to  him.  The  irreligious  were 
deeply  impressed  by  the  unmistakable  halo  of  good 
to  be  felt  about  him.  His  was  the  gentle,  kindly  and 
true  heart  of  one  who  was  carefully  following  Christ." 

The  wonderful  ministry  he  once  more  conducted 
through  these  British  isles  covered  a  wide  area.  The 
dawn  of  the  great  evangelical  revival  in  England  was 
now  beginning,  and  the  quiet  power  which  accom- 
panied Stephen  Grellet  must  have  signally  contributed 
to  the  result.  He  was  at  this  time  in  the  fulness  of 
his  manhood  and  wisdom.  What  Gessner  says  of 
him  a  few  years  later  must  have  been  also  true  of  this 
period.  "  His  noble,  simple,  yet  dignified  bearing, 
and  his  apostolic  appearance  made  a  strong  impres- 
sion upon  all."  He  attended  in  the  north  and  east  of 
London  meetings  of  Friends,  and  says,  "  The  Lord 
very  graciously  refreshed  us  together."  In  West- 
minster he  met  the  nobility  of  the  west  end,  and 
simply  records,  "  It  was  a  quiet  good  meeting."  In 
Yorkshire  he  speaks  of  meetings  which  '■•  were  crowned 
by  the  Divine  presence."  In  Ireland  he  writes  of 
younger  members  of  the  society  who   had  been  cs- 


218  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

tranged  from  the  Christian  simplicity  of  evangelical 
truth,  and  were  "  again  brought  under  the  baptizing 
power  of  it."  In  Bristol  he  refers  to  meetings  when 
"  the  Lord's  power  rose  into  dominion."  Thus  he 
ministered  through  these  isles  with  that  quiet  but 
irresistible  efficiency  which  marks  the  best  revivals  of 
religion.  God's  greatest  forces  in  the  universe  are  very 
silent  ones. 

Nor  were  instances  wanting  of  that  "  discerning  of 
spirits  "  which  continually  attended  his  ministrations. 
He  writes  of  a  visit  to  a  Moravian  establishment, 
when  the  lady  at  the  head  "  gave  me  such  a  welcome 
as  I  could  not  at  first  understand,  not  recollecting  to 
have  seen  her  before,  but  I  found  that  she  had  been 
at  the  head  of  the  Moravian  establishment  in  Dublin 
when  I  visited  it.  In  the  course  of  my  religious  com- 
munication at  that  time  I  particularly  addressed  a 
young  woman,  warning  her  against  yielding  to  the 
strong  temptation  which  was  assailing  her ;  for  if  she 
did,  anguish  and  misery  would  be  the  result ;  but  if 
she  sought  the  Lord  for  help  to  resist  it,  He  would 
be  her  saving  strength,  and  would  greatly  bless  her 
succeeding  days.  I  knew  nothing  concerning  the 
young  woman,  but  I  could  not  help  thinking  my  ad- 
dress to  her  a  singular  one.  Now  I  am  informed  that 
a  young  nobleman  had  found  means  of  obtaining 
access  to  her,  and  under  fair  pretences  of  strong  afifec 
tion,  and  promise  to  marry  her,  had  nearly  persuaded 
her  to  elope  with  him.  This  had  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  my  informant  a  very  short  time  before  I  was 
there.     As  soon  as  I  went  away  the  young  woman 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  I  U ROPE.  2!  9 

came  to  her,  bitterly  reproaching  her  for  telling  me 
the  circumstances  ;  but  she  satisfied  her  fully  that  she 
had  not  been  with  me,  except  in  the  presence  of  them 
all,  and  that  nobody  could  have  told  me  about  it, 
since  no  other  person  was  in  the  secret ;  she  must 
therefore  consider  it  as  a  particular  interposition  of 
the  Lord  to  induce  her  to  flee  from  temptation,  and 
to  escape  the  ruin  that  threatened  her.  The  young 
woman  resolved,  by  the  Lord's  help,  to  do  so ;  she 
was  enabled  to  resist,  and  soon  after  heard  that  he 
who  had  made  such  fair  promises  to  her  was  a  profli- 
gate man." 

From  many  other  like  instances  we  extract  the 
following : 

"At  Saffron  Walden,  in  the  course  of  his  ministry, 
he  felt  drawn  to  speak  on  the  evils  of  infidelity,  when 
a  sceptic  who  was  present  was  brought  under  such 
strong  convictions  under  the  Lord's  power  that  he 
wept  aloud." 

In  Switzerland  "  a  considerable  number  of  serious 
persons  had  met  at  pastor  Demalleyer's  house.  After 
some  instructive  conversation,  a  time  of  silence  en- 
sued. The  whole  company  seemed  impressed  with 
the  solemnity  of  it.  It  was  some  time  before  anything 
was  said.  Stephen  Grellet  then  addressed  the  com- 
pany in  a  very  edifying  manner.  Whilst  he  was 
speaking,  a  gentleman  who  was  but  slightly  known 
to  the  family,  and  had  never  before  attended  the 
little  meetings  occasionally  held  at  their  house,  en- 
tered the  room  and  took  his  seat  by  the  door 
without  interrupting  the  stillness,  and,  it  was  thought, 


220  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

unobserved  by  the  speaker.  For  a  while  there  was 
no  change  in  the  tenor  of  his  discourse,  but  towards 
the  conclusion  he  was  led  to  address  himself,  with 
increased  solemnity  to  an  individual  whom  he  de- 
scribed as  being  in  the  greatest  danger  of  commit- 
ting suicide.  After  a  solemn  warning  against  the 
fearful  sin  and  its  awful  consequences,  the  forgiving 
mercy  of  God,  the  bountiful  provisions  and  the  en- 
treaties and  promises  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
the  all-sufficiency  of  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
even  for  the  most  destitute  and  sinful,  were  dwelt 
upon  in  such  a  manner  that  all  present  were  deeply 
affected,  wondering  at  the  same  time  why  they 
should  be  thus  addressed.  But  from  that  time  it 
was  remarked  that  the  gentleman  who  had  unexpect- 
edly come  into  the  room  whilst  Mr.  Grellet  was  speak- 
ing became  more  serious,  and  frequently  attended  the 
evening  services  which  continued  to  be  held  by  the 
little  company  of  pious  persons  with  whom  he  had 
mingled.  It  was  not  however  till  many  years  after 
that  the  gentleman  informed  pastor  Demalleyer  that 
on  the  evening  of  the  meeting  he  had  left  his  own 
house,  under  the  pressure  of  great  trials,  with  the  full 
determination  to  throw  himself  into  the  lake.  On  his 
way  to  it  an  involuntary  impulse  caused  him  to  take 
a  less  direct  course,  which  brought  him  to  the  house 
of  the  pastor.  He  entered  it,  he  scarcely  knew  why, 
and.  through  the  Divine  blessing,  it  proved  the  means 
of  his  deliverance." 

In   the  south   of  France,  while  addressing  a  meet- 
ing, he  was  impelled  to  utter  a  warning  to  turn  from 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE.  221 

rash  purposes,  and,  after  the  example  of  the  prodigal 
son,  to  return  to  the  heavenly  Father.  He  was 
astonished  that  in  a  place  where  comfort  and  encourage- 
ment seemed  needed  he  should  have  been  constrained 
to  bear  such  a  testimony;  but  he  was  afterwards 
more  surprised  to  find  that  a  son  of  the  devoted  and 
saintly  Oberlin  had  unexpectedly  entered  the  meet- 
ing. "  He  was  in  the  practice  of  frequenting  un- 
profitable company;  he  had  concluded  to  go  that 
very  night  to  Strasburg  to  enlist  as  a  soldier.  Hear- 
ing of  the  meeting,  curiosity  brought  him  there.  The 
word  preached  sank  deep  into  his  heart ;  the  Spirit 
of  Truth,  the  faithful  Witness,  performed  His  office 
in  him ;  his  purposes  were  changed,  and  he  spent 
the  night  in  retirement  and  prostration  of  soul  before 
God;  so  that  it  might  be  said  of  him  as  of  Saul, 
after  the  Lord  had  appeared  to  him  in  the  way,  '  Be- 
hold he  prayeth.'  "  Thus  the  son  of  Oberlin  was 
kept  back  from  a  course  of  ruin,  and  a  father's  prayers 
were  answered. 

After  the  meetings  in  Great  Britain  above  referred 
to,  Mr.  Grellet  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  return  to  the 
United  States.  His  presence  would  be  needed  there. 
On  the  one  hand  religious  troubles  would  sorely  tax 
the  fortitude  of  American  Quakers ;  on  the  other, 
now  that  the  cotton  trade,  in  the  general  revival  of 
commercial  prosperity,  would  take  a  new  start,  the 
profits  of  African  slavery  would  provoke  a  greed  and 
inhumanity  which  would  make  the  work  of  all 
Abolitionists  more  imperatively  urgent.  The  Journal 
records : 


222  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

"  Lancaster.  John  Hustler  kindly  accompanied  G. 
Stacey  and  myself  to  this  place,  by  way  of  Settle. 
On  the  road  my  mind  was  engaged  in  retracing  my 
steps  and  exercises  among  the  nations  I  have  lately 
visited ;  the  sore  troubles  that  have  attended  me,  the 
peculiarity  of  my  religious  engagements  among  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  military  and  clerical  characters,  in 
palaces  and  prisons,  and  how  my  blessed  Lord  and 
Master  has  been  with  me,  His  very  poor  servant,  to 
uphold  and  help.  I  was  greatly  contrited  before 
Him;  truly  did  I  say:  *  Great  and  marvellous  are 
Thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true  are 
Thy  ways,  Thou  King  of  saints ;  who  would  not  fear 
Thee  ?  who  would  not  glorify  Thy  name  ?'  Should 
my  life  be  prolonged  to  that  of  the  antediluvians,  the 
period  thus  lengthened  would  be  too  short  to  pro- 
claim the  whole  of  the  praise  and  the  glory  of  my 
dear  Redeemer.  Amidst  these  feelings,  however,  I 
remember  the  Lord's  disciples  who  were  telling  Him 
what  great  things  they  had  been  enabled  to  do  through 
His  name.  He  forewarned  them  of  the  sore  trials 
that  were  impending  on  them  :  *  But  now  I  say  unto 
you,  let  him  that  hath  no  sword  sell  his  garment  and 
buy  one/  So  a  sense  is  given  me  of  the  sore  tribula- 
tions that  await  me  on  my  return  to  America.  If  my 
dear  Lord  and  Master  is  rejected  and  traduced,  I,  who 
am  but  a  very  poor  servant,  if  I  keep  my  allegiance 
to  Him,  must  not  expect  to  escape  my  share  of  the 
afflictions  of  the  gospel.  My  prayer  is  that  the  Lord 
would  clothe  me  with  His  holy  armor  of  light, 
strengthen   my   faith   in    Him,   and  preserve  me    in 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  CENTRAL  EUROPE.  223 

patient  suffering  with   and   for  Him,  even  though  all 
should  forsake  Him." 

It  has  been  maintained  of  late  that  the  absence  of 
a  high  and  consecrated  life  in  these  times  is  to  be 
traced  to  vague  and  indefinite  views  of  religious  truth, 
and  to  the  fact  that  the  authority  of  theological  sys- 
tems has  ceased  to  sway  this  generation.  This  cannot 
be  doubted.  But  the  predominating  cause  is  in  one 
sentence;  Chritian  persons  have  lost  conscience  as 
to  the  imperious  necessity  of  communion  with  God 
in  the  daily  reading  of  Scripture,  and  by  means  of 
private,  closet  prayer.  Herein  lay  the  sources  of 
strength  and  wisdom  in  Stephen  Grellet.  As  well 
expect  nature  to  flourish  without  God's  atmosphere, 
as  for  the  soul  of  man  to  think  and  feel  rightly  when 
out  of  fellowship  with  God. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FAITHFUL     WITNESSING. 

MR  GRELLET  landed  at  New  York  August 
*th,  1820.  He  records: — "I  met  my  be- 
loved wife  and  daughter,  who  came  two  days  since 
from  Burlington,  to  await  my  arrival ;  and  they  did 
not  wait  long.  Our  hearts  overflowed  with  gratitude 
at  our  being  permitted  to  meet  again,  after  an  absence 
of  two  years  and  two  months,  during  which  I  have 
travelled  about  twenty-two  thousand  miles.  Silent 
and  reverent  prostration  of  soul  before  the  Lord  was 
our  only  language  to  one  another,  for  some  time ; 
then,  on  bended  knees,  and  with  a  bowed  spirit,  thanks 
giving,  adoration  and  praise  were  offered  to  the  Lord." 

The  ensuing  winter  and  spring  were  spent  in  the 
bosom  of  his  own  family,  and  he  adds :  "  Our  hearts 
are  often  bowed  in  much  gratitude  under  a  sense  of 
our  many  favors,  and  we  esteem  it  a  great  one  to 
pass  now  so  much  time  together." 

In  1822  he  again  entered  upon  an  extensive  visit 
to  Friends  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  After 
this,  early  in  1824,  the  duty  appeared  to  be  laid 
upon  him  of  a  tour  through  the  Southern  and  slave- 
holding  States.  The  cruel  usage  of  the  slaves  lay 
heavily  on  his  heart.     TI.e  yoke  of  slavery  was  most 

(224) 


FAITHFUL  WITNESSING.  225 

oppressive  at  this  time ;  scarcely  a  gleam  of  hope 
cheered  the  heart  of  the  few  philanthropic  men  who 
were  enduring  bitter  enmity  from  interested  men  in 
the  North,  and  whose  names  were  laden  with  the 
curses  of  the  South.  The  attitude  of  the  Southern 
States  in  favor  of  slavery  was  so  pronounced,  deter- 
mined and  virulent  as  to  produce  hatred  and  insult 
against  every  man  who  witnessed  against  the  evil. 
Into  this  dark  region  of  bondage  Stephen  Grellet  en- 
tered. He  did  so  in  no  temper  of  angry  denuncia- 
tion ;  he  writes :  "  I  feel  for  the  poor  and  oppressed 
descendants  of  Africa,  and  not  less  awfully  for  their 
oppressors.  In  this  spirit  he  went  through  Virginia, 
thence  into  Ohio,  and  thence  through  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  as  far  as  New  Orleans.  Wherever 
he  went,  into  whatsoever  State  or  city,  this  was  his 
testimony,  that  "  slavery  and  all  kinds  of  oppression 
were  contrary  to  the  law  of  God,  which  is  one  not 
of  selfish  cruelty  but  of  human  love  and  mercy."  He 
protested  continually  against  State  laws  whereby 
slaves  were  liable  to  be  imprisoned,  and  to  receive 
twenty-five  lashes  if  they  attended  religious  meetings. 
He  called  this  "wickedness" and  warned  the  men  who 
"  put  such  wicked  laws  in  force." 

In  public  and  private  religious  meetings  he  had 
numerous  opportunities  of  bearing  witness  against 
slaveholding.  He  was  again  and  again  told  that  his 
mission  would  lead  to  a  rising  of  the  slaves ;  but  it 
was  not  so.  A  terrible  time  it  was.  Slaves  on  the 
burning  plantation  were  driven  with  a  cruelty  the 
"dumb  driven    cattle"  did  not  receive,  and  on  the 


22G  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

auction  block  were  knocked  down  for  infamous  pur- 
poses. The  marriage  tie  was  violated,  and  the  hearts 
of  mothers  and  husbands  wrung  with  anguish.  At 
some  times  the  slaves  would  fire  on  their  oppressors; 
at  others  scores  of  them  would  hide  away  in  swamps, 
amidst  wet  and  starvation.  Happily  there  were  South- 
ern men  who  acknowledged  that  the  system  was  the 
crime  as  well  as  the  scourge  of  the  land.  But  it  was 
ever  held  to  be  remarkable  that  Stephen  Grellet  came 
alive  out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  The  writer  of 
these  words  recalls  with  a  shudder  that  once,  be- 
cause in  Leeds  he  had  seconded  a  protest  against 
slavery  which  had  been  proposed  by  Mr.  Edward 
Baines,  the  long-faithful  and  honored  friend  of  all  that 
is  free  and  noble,  he  received  an  extract  from  a  South- 
ern paper  full  of  awful  curses.* 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  impressive  spec- 
tacle than  that  of  Stephen  Grellet  for  a  whole  year 
pursuing  his  lone  journeys  in  these  slaveholding 
States,  sacrificing  comforts  and  risking  life  in  the  in- 


*  In  a  later  year  it  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  an 
eloquent  African,  a  freedman,  was  declaiming  against  South- 
ern slavery  in  a  Northern  city.  But  the  iron  had  so  entered 
into  his  soul,  and  the  prospect  of  emancipation  seemed  so  far 
off,  as  to  make  his  address  brimfull  of  despair.  A  negress 
was  in  the  audience.  She  rose;  stood  silent;  her  tall,  magni- 
ficent figure  arrested  all  eyes ;  then,  as  the  orator  poured 
forth  his  hopeless  lamentations,  she  stretched  out  her  long 
arms,  and  raising  her  head  and  voice  cried  out,  "  Frederick 
Douglass,  is  God  dead?"  It  was  as  the  voice  of  a  Hebrew  pro- 
phetess, and  brought  back  hope  to  the  heart  of  the  speaker. 
"Vengeance,"  says  our  English  proverb,  "  has  leaden  feet 
but  iron  hands  "  Its  approaches  are  slow,  but  it  comes  at  last 
with  crushing  weight. 


FAITHFUL  WITNESSING.  '227 

terests  of.  humanity.  Amidst  the  hurry  of  human 
affairs  the  pioneers  of  the  greatest  ameliorations  are 
apt  to  be  forgotten ;  but  let  posterity  at  least  be  just 
to  them. 

Other  heavy  solicitudes  were  to  take  possession  of 
his  mind,  and  to  claim  his  attention.  A  serious  divi- 
sion threatened  the  whole  society  of  Friends.  Their 
grand  motto  had  been  derived  from  their  founder, 
George  Fox :  "  We  are  nothing  ;  Christ  is  all."  A 
true  evangelical  sentiment  had  been  the  salt  of  their 
community ;  by  the  term  "  evangelical  "  is  intended  a 
rigid  regard  to  scriptural  truth  and  to  its  honest  in- 
terpretation. The  Quakers  who  at  this  time  deviated 
from  the  traditional  standards  of  the  Friends  pleaded 
indeed  that  they  did  abide  by  scriptural  testimony. 
But  it  was  held  that  it  was  one  thing  to  give  the  fuli 
and  legitimate  force  to  the  words  of  Christ  and  His 
apostles,  and  another  to  interpret  them  in  a  sense 
that  could  never  have  been  dreamt  of  by  devout  and 
intelligent  readers  who  were  untrained  in  the  jargon 
of  so-called  philosophical  schools.  The  idea  was 
held,  by  those  who  afterwards  became  the  seceding 
party,  that  the  evangelical  system  was  a  thing  of  the 
past  and  had  become  obsolete.  The  other  side 
maintained  that  if  the  evangelical  system  conserved 
and  maintained  vital  Christianity,  it  could  never  be 
obsolete ;  that  human  nature  in  all  ages  remained  the 
same,  and  that  the  value  of  a  Divine  revelation  was 
in  this,  that  it  was  a  testimony  which  exactly  corres- 
ponded with  immutable  facts  and  realities  in  the 
Divine  modes  of  being  and  operation.    It  was  strenu- 


228  STEPHEN  GRELLEf. 

ously  maintained  therefore  that  a  professed  de- 
velopment of  Scriptural  truth  in  the  sense  of  a 
philosophical  and  non  natural  interpretation  of  it  was 
in  effect  a  denial  of  its  authority. 

A  Quaker  named  Elias  Hicks  made  himself  the 
leader  of  the  party  in  opposition  to  the  evangelical 
confessions  of  the  Friends.  There  came  a  deplorable 
secession,  into  the  history  of  which  we  cannot  enter. 
Stephen  Grellet  stood  firm,  while  many  wavered 
around  him.  His  attachment  to  Quakerism  arose 
from  his  conviction  that  it  was  identical  with  pure 
and  simple  Christianity.  This  he  avowed  in  all  the 
meetings  he  attended,  and  his  firmness  was  a  strength 
to  many.  Time  has  justified  his  action,  and  it  has 
been  demonstrated  that  the  noble  and  distinguished 
Friends  of  later  years  derived  their  impulse  and  in- 
spiration from  the  candid,  unaccommodating  inter- 
pretation of  those  evangelical  truths  at  that  period 
assailed.  These  witnesses  have  not  toned  down  gospel 
requirements  to  an  apathetic  indifference  to  the  crimes 
and  vices  preying  upon  society,  nor  haye  they  lowered 
and  accommodated  the  spirituality  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment to  meet  the  conventional  customs  and  pleasures 
of  the  world ;  nor,  again,  have  they  allowed  the  pre- 
judices of  a  self-named  rationalism  to  interpret  scrip- 
tural truth  in  methods  that  adapted  it  to  the  ever 
shifting  demands  of  a  human  philosophy.  They  have 
very  painfully  learnt,  since  those  days,  that  departure 
from  the  evangelical  confessions  meant,  in  not  a  few 
cases,  an  inclined  plane  which  led  fcirther  and  farther 
from  the  unambiguous  requirements  of  Divine  revela- 


FAITHFUL  WITNESSING.  229 

tion,  until  at  length  the  place  was  taken  in  the  ranks  of 
unbelievers.  They  have  learnt  also,  and  the  demon- 
stration has  been  most  valuable,  that  the  purest  lives 
and,  during  the  last  half  century,  the  noblest  efforts 
on  behalf  of  freedom,  of  human  rights,  of  the  pro- 
gress of  nations,  of  the  improvement  of  society,  and 
the  salvation  of  the  race,  have  mostly  proceeded  from 
men  holding  that  evangelical  faith  on  the  side  of 
which  Mr.  Grellet  at  the  time  of  conflict  and  separa- 
tion was  so  decided. 


Ten  years  of  his  life  were  occupied  in  these  and  other 
labors.  They  brought  to  him,  after  times  of  trouble, 
deep  balancings  of  joy.  Years  were  these,  from  1821 
to  1 83 1,  of  sowing,  and  in  the  history  of  America  the 
most  fruitful  sowing  the  world  has  known  since 
apostolic  times.  He  saw  the  hard  capsules  of  a  Cal- 
vinistic  interpretation  dropping  off  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  testimony,  and  on  all  sides  and  among  all 
churches  men  multiplying  by  thousands,  whose  con- 
fession of  the  Saviour's  grace  to  men  was  like  unto 
his  own.  It  was  therefore  natural  that  his  thoughts 
should  be  again  turned  to  Europe.  There  also  mighty 
changes  were  in  progress.  Youths  who  had  grown 
up  in  the  deluge  of  war  that  had  swept  over  Eu- 
ropean kingdoms  were  now  coming  to  the  front  as 
Christian  confessors.  Their  faith  and  strength  had 
been  developed  as  they  could  not  have  been  in  a  time 
of  softness  and  prosperity.  In  the  British  isles  the 
evangelical  witness  was  spreading  all  along  the  lines. 


200  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

In  Conformist  and  Non-conformist  churches  preach- 
ing was  intensely  fervent,  zeal  was  unbounded,  and 
conversions  of  men  to  God  were  the  mark  of  the 
epoch.*  In  France  and  Switzerland,  under  a  reign 
of  wider  liberty,  evangelical  churches  were  being 
formed,  and  pastors  like  Vinet,  Adolphe  Monod  and 
D'Aubigne  were  increasing.  In  Italy  the  old  voice 
of  the  Waldensian  loyalty  was  sounding  from  the 
valleys  of  Piedmont.  In  German  universities 
scholars  like  Tholuck,  Hengstenberg  and  Neander, 
whose  learning  and  purity  of  life  none  could  dis- 
pute, were  courageously  avowing  the  essential 
truths  of  vital  religion.  At  such  a  time  Stephen 
Grellet  writes : 


*  It  is  not  easy  to  convey  to  this  generation  an  adequate 
impression  of  the  transcendent  power,  at  that  period,  of  the 
Evangelical  pulpit  in  the  established  Churches  of  England 
and  Scotland,  and  among  Non-comformists.  It  was  arousing, 
teaching,  melting  and  stimulating  to  the  last  degree.  Such 
preachers  as  Thomas  Chalmers,  the  Hon.  Baptist  Noel,  John 
Angell  James,  Robert  Newton  and  Henry  Melvill,  (and  these 
represented  many  more,)  derived  their  pathos  and  moving 
force  over  the  understandings  and  hearts  of  men  from  those 
distinctive  evangelical  truths  which  now  in  many  places  are 
reckoned  antiquated  and  worn  out.  Nor  was  there  wanting 
an  enforcement  of  the  ethical  side  of  Christianity.  The  effect 
that  religion  should  have  on  the  conduct  of  men  and  nations 
was  powerfully  proclaimed.  Congregations  would  break  up, 
not  in  a  carping,  finical  and  critical  mood,  but  would  go  home 
to  pray,  and  would  go  forth  in  the  world  new  men.  Such  a 
time  had  its  perils.  Preachers  are  drawn  into  a  popular  move- 
ment who  adopt  its  terms  for  the  sake  of  its  prestige,  but  who 
breathe  not  its  spirit.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  we  should  not 
have  witnessed  the  reaction  of  later  years.  The  restoration 
of  faith  can,  however,  come  only  from  the  same  positive  and 
unambiguous  preaching  of  the  teaching  of  Christ,  and  the 
great  themes  of  apostolic  testimony. 


FAITHFUL  WITNESSING.  231 

"Third  Month,  1831.  My  religious  concern  to 
cross  once  more  the  seas  and  to  visit  Friends  in 
England  and  other  nations  on  the  continent  of  Eu- 
rope, in  the  love  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  my  Lord 
and  Saviour,  having  ripened  to  clearness,  with  the 
evidence  that  now  is  the  time  for  me  to  make  the 
requisite  preparation  for  engaging  in  so  solemn  and 
important  a  work,  I  have  set  my  small  affairs  in 
order,  and  obtained  certificates  of  the  Christian  sym- 
pathy and  unity  of  my  friends.  My  beloved  wife 
on  this  occasion,  as  on  all  preceding  ones,  freely  and 
with  Christian  cheerfulness  resigns  me  to  the  Lord's 
service.  She  is  uniformly  a  great  encourager  to  me 
to  act  the  part  of  a  faithful  servant  of  the  best  of 
Masters.  We  have  several  times  parted,  with  the  ap- 
parent prospect  of  never  seeing  each  other  again  in 
this  state  of  mutability,  but  the  Lord,  in  whose  hands 
is  our  life,  has  brought  us  together  again.  He  may 
still  do  so  if  it  be  His  good  pleasure.  Into  His  hands, 
and  to  His  sovereign  will  and  disposal,  we  commit 
ourselves  and  our  beloved  daughter,  our  only  child." 

"  Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak 
In  living  echoes  of  Thy  tone  ; 
As  Thou  hast  sought,  so  let  me  seek 
Thy  erring  children  lost  and  lone. 

Oh  use  me,  Lord,  use  even  me, 
Just  as  Thou  wilt,  and  when,  and  where ; 

Until  Thy  blessed  face  I  see, 

Thy  rest,  Thy  joy,  Thy  glory  share." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE. 

MR.  GRELLET  was  in  his  fifty-ninth  year  when 
he  went  forth  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ 
to  the  nations,  on  his  last,  as  it  proved,  his  most  ex- 
tensive missionary  journey.  One  who  had  knowledge 
to  justify  the  language  writes:  "  He  had  now  grown 
grey  in  the  service  of  the  Lord ;  and  the  richness  of 
his  personal  experience  gave  peculiar  interest  to  this 
labor  of  love,  and  brightness  to  this  work  of  faith. 
It  was  like  distributing  the  well  ripened  fruit  of  his 
autumn  life."  He  travelled  through  Great  Britain, 
through  extensive  parts  of  Holland,  through  some  of 
the  minor  States  of  Germany,  through  the  dominions 
of  Prussia,  Saxony,  Bohemia,  Austria  and  Hungary, 
Bavaria,  Wurtemberg,  Switzerland,  France,  Spain  and 
Piedmont.  Men  everywhere  declared  that  their  in- 
timacy with  him  was  one  of  the  "  brightest  episodes  of 
their  lives."  At  Dresden  the  Prince  Regent  well  de- 
scribed the  catholic  nature  of  his  mission  when  he 
said  to  him  and  William  Allen,  who  accompanied  him 
once  more  over  a  portion  of  this  journey :  "  We  know 
how  the  love  of  God  and  good  will  to  men  prompts 
you  ;  that  you  embrace  men  of  every  description,  of 
every  religious  denomination,  rich  and  poor;  that  you 

(232) 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  233 

go  among  the  most  wretched  in  prisons  and  poor- 
houses,  and  come  to  some  of  us  in  our  palaces."  In 
these  palaces  of  princes  and  in  the  mansions  of  states- 
men their  united  testimony,  as  we  learn  from  their 
Journal,  was  that  "  sin,  disobedience  to  the  holy  will 
of  God,  was  the  cause  of  all  private  and  public 
misery ;"  and  in  the  abodes  of  the  poor  that  "  Christ 
Jesus  had  come  to  put  away  and  to  deliver  men  from 
sin,  and  that  to  them  that  received  Him  He  gave 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."  This  twofold 
declaration  gave  not  a  transient  but  permanent  influ- 
ence to  the  labors  of  the  two  evangelists.  Nothing 
indeed  is  more  remarkable  and  noteworthy  than  this 
feature  of  Stephen  Grellet's  ministry.  Like  the  true 
high  priest  of  Israel  he  felt  gently  towards  the  ignor- 
ant and  erring,  and  at  the  same  time  never  justified 
the  wicked.  He  saw  that  sin,  which  a  lukewarm 
minister  is  apt  to  regard  with  apathy,  is  in  God's 
view  the  cause  of  unutterable  suffering  in  its  effects 
from  man  to  man,  and  of  inconceivable  woe  in  sunder- 
ing human  relations  to  Jehovah.  The  emphatic  words  of 
Scripture  in  reference  to  the  Christian  teacher  are,  that 
he  "  turns  many  away  from  iniquity,"  and  u.  turns  many 
unto  righteousness  "  (Mai.  ii.  6,  and  Dan.  xii.  3).  On 
the  other  hand,  in  Stephen  Grellet  there  was  no  sever- 
ity. The  lowliness  with  which  he  himself  lay  before 
God  made  him  like  unto  the  true  priest  in  another 
requirement.  A  descendant  of  Aaron  could  not  on  the 
day  of  atonement  have  observed  the  law  which  re- 
quired that  he  should  stand  and  gaze  on  the  red 
blood  of  a   bullock  of  sin    offering,  and  the  burnt 


234  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

offering  of  a  ram,  both  for  himself  and  his  own  trans- 
gressions, without  dealing  tenderly  afterwards  as  he 
confessed  and  sacrificed  for  the  sins  of  the  people ; 
and  Stephen  Grellet  teaches  how  we,  who  under  the 
Christian  dispensation  are  spared  this  anguish,  should 
nevertheless  go  as  sinners  ourselves,  redeemed  by 
the  Great  Sacrifice,  to  plead  with  men  for  their  sal- 
vation.* 

It  being  perfectly  impossible  in  the  limits  of  this 
manual  to  present  the  details  of  this  extensive  and 
laborious  European  journey,  nothing  more  will  be  at- 
tempted than  to  offer  fragmentary  glimpses  of  its 
nature  in  extracts  from  the  Journal.  The  order  that 
will  be  followed  will  be  that  of  the  kingdoms  visited, 
but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  extracts  relate  to 
labors  for  many  weeks  and  even  months  in  the  re- 
spective nations  visited. 

England.  "  I  had  many  meetings  in  the  dales  of 
the  midland  and  northern  counties,  and  among  the 
colliers  and  miners.  I  feel  deeply  for  that  class  of 
men;  many  are  their  privations  and  sufferings,  as 
also  are  those  of  the  poor  weavers  in  the  manufactur- 
ing districts.     My  travelling  among  the  colliers  was 


*  In  addition  to  the  offering  of  his  own  sin  offering,  wash- 
ings and  purifications  for  himself,  it  was  required  that  seven 
days  before  the  day  of  atonement  the  high  priest  should  leave 
his  house  and  family,  and  take  up  his  abode  in  the  Temple. 
Surely  this  retirement  was  not  only  for  his  own  freedom  from 
defilement,  but  freedom  also  from  that  spirit  of  routine, 
formality  and  unfeelingness,  to  which,  above  all  men,  eccle- 
siastics are  liable.  The  seclusion  would  go  to  assist  that 
"  compassionateness "  which  was  the  high  priest's  main 
qualification.     (See  Heb.  v.  2.) 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE,  235 

attended  with  danger  in  many  places;  for  the  men 
had  '  turned  out,'  as  they  call  it,  refusing  to  work 
unless  their  wages  were  advanced ;  and  they  were 
under  excitement,  increased  by  the  want  of  the  ne- 
cessaries of  life  to  support  their  families ;  some  of 
them  were  driven  to  acts  of  desperation,  so  as  even 
to  attack  travellers  on  the  road.  We  however  passed 
on  unmolested,  and  had  some  large  meetings  in  those 
very  districts,  where  the  people  behaved  well.  I  en- 
deavored to  impress  upon  them  the  fear  of  God  and 
the  love  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  duty  of  living  under 
the  influence  of  the  peaceable  spirit  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ." 

"  We  had  several  public  meetings,  and  others 
among  Friends  generally,  through  Devonshire  and 
Cornwall  as  far  as  Falmouth.  Some  of  these  meet- 
ings, held  among  the  lead  mines  were  very  interesting. 
Vital  religion  has  progressed  among  many  of  these 
people  since  my  first  visit  to  them.  The  education 
of  the  children  has,  by  the  Lord's  blessing,  contributed 
to  the  moral  reform  of  the  parents.  Great  broken- 
ness  of  spirit  has  sometimes  appeared  to  extend  over 
the  large  company  collected.  May  the  Lord  bless 
His  work  among  that  people  and  everywhere.  The 
dear  Redeemer  saith,  '  My  Father  worketh  hitherto, 
and  I  work/  and  it  is  a  marvellous  work." 

Rotterdam,  16th.  "  Early  this  morning  we  made  a 
satisfactory  visit  to  the  Baron  Makey,  Director  of  the 
Post-office ;  he  is  a  spiritually  minded  man  ;  he  be- 
lieves that  the  Spirit  is  one  of  the  blessed  gifts  of  the 
Redeemer ;  therefore  the  more  highly  he  values  the 


236  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Gift  the  more  also  he  loves  and  reverences  the  gracious 
Dispenser  of  it.  We  were  afterwards  with  the  Baron 
La  Deboar,  who  is  a  useful  and  benevolent  man.  The 
two  clergymen  we  were  with  yesterday,  having  heard 
that  we  were  here,  came  to  meet  us  again,  bringing 
with  them  the  clergyman  of  the  Dutch  Kirk  :  they 
seem  to  wish  to  be  in  our  company,  not  for  disputa- 
tion nor  to  enter  into  controversy,  but  to  inquire  into 
some  of  our  Christian  principles :  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  setting  before  them  our  views  of  the  nature 
of  pure  Christianity,  and  the  qualifications  for  a 
minister  of  Christ.  We  forwarded  to  the  quarantine 
on  the  little  island  a  parcel  of  Bibles  and  Testaments, 
in  several  languages,  for  the  use  of  those  who  may 
yet  come  there.  We  also  visited  and  had  religious 
opportunities  in  their  prison  and  schools;  in  one  of 
these  for  the  poor  there  are  about  one  thousand 
children.  * 

"We  came  to  Amsterdam  on  the  1 8th,  and  visited 
the  Infant  School,  supported  out  of  the  interest  of  the 
residue  of  the  money  proceeding  from  the  share  of 
John  Warder  in  the  prizes  made  during  the  war  by  a 
vessel  in  which  he  was  concerned.*     They  have  now 


*  Before  his  removal  from  England,  the  late  John  Warder, 
of  Philadelphia,  had  a  share  in  the  ship  Nancy,  which,  with- 
out his  knowledge  or  approval,  was  armed  by  his  partner 
who  was  not  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  During 
the  American  war,  Holland  being  one  of  the  allies  of  the 
United  States,  the  Nancy  aided  in  the  capture  of  a  Dutch 
East  Indiaman,  on  her  homeward  voyage  to  Amsterdam. 
From  the  nature  of  the  cargo  the  prize  turned  out  to  be  a 
rich  one,  and  John  Warder's  share  of  the  proceeds  amounted 
to  a  considerable  sum.     To  apply  to  his  own  use  money  so 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  237 

upwards  of  sixty  children  in  that  school.  The  build- 
ing purchased  for  the  purpose  is  a  convenient  one,  and 
the  matron,  under  whose  especial  care  it  is  placed, 
appears  to  act  as  a  mother  and  a  Christian  towards 
those  young  children.  Our  testimony  against  war  is 
exalted  through  this  act  of  justice  and  benevolence. 
Many  persons  come  to  visit  the  establishment." 

"  We  went  to  Eidinghausen,  a  village  where  several 
persons  that  profess  with  us  reside ;  we  visited  them  in 
their  families,  and  had  a  meeting  with  them.  The 
people  there  live,  some  might  say,  in  ancient  sin> 
plicity ;  under  the  same  roof  are  the  dwelling  house, 
the  barn,  the  cow  house,  the  stable  for  horses,  and 
their  pigs,  also  the  places  for  other  live  stock,  fowls, 
etc.     The  part  occupied  for  the  dwelling  is  at  the 


obtained  was  felt  to  be  inconsistent  with  a  faithful  support  of 
the  Christian  testimony  against  all  wars  and  fightings,  and 
restitution  of  the  property  an  obvious  duty.  But  in  the  midst 
of  international  hostilities  it  was  no  easy  matter  at  once 
clearly  to  ascertain  the  parties  justly  entitled  to  it.  Under  these 
circumstances  John  Warder  ultimately  placed  the  amount  he 
had  received  upon  trust  for  effecting  the  restitution  when 
practicable.  Both  before  and  after  the  termination  of  the 
war,  efforts  were  made  to  find  out  the  real  owners  of  the 
property,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  it  was  restored  to  them  ;  but 
some  could  never  be  traced.  Being  originally  derived  from 
Holland,  it  was  finally  thought  most  in  accordance  with  strict 
justice  to  appropriate  the  unclaimed  residue  to  Dutch  pur- 
poses. The  result  was  the  establishment  and  support  of  the 
infant  school  alluded  to  at  Amsterdam.  The  citizens,  appre- 
ciating its  value  and  the  character  of  its  origin,  have  called  it 
"Holland's  Welfare,"  the  name  borne  by  the  captured  vessel, 
and  by  that  name  it  is  still  recognized  in  their  list  of  public 
schools.  A  large  number  of  children  have  been  taught  in  the 
institution.  It  was  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Holland,  and  now 
similar  ones  are  very  general  in  that  kingdom. 


2?8  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

farther  end  of  this  large  building,  which  has  no 
chimney,  so  that  the  smoke  makes  its  escape  as  it  can 
from  the  sides  or  the  roof,  which  is  thatched  with 
straw.  We  had  a  meeting  in  one  of  these  places ;  it 
was  largely  attended  by  the  villagers.  It  was  a  novel 
sight  to  us ;  we  had  on  each  side  of  us  horses,  cows, 
calves,  sheep,  etc.;  but  it  seemed  as  if  a  total  silence 
was  spread  over  all  these,  as  well  as  over  the  large 
company  collected.  I  believe  that  during  the  whole 
time  of  the  meeting,  none  of  the  lowing  of  the  cattle 
the  bleating  of  the  sheep,  nor  other  noise  was  heard, 
though  before  and  after  the  meeting  they  were 
pretty  loud.  Some  of  the  dear  people  appear  to 
have  been  much  sheltered  from  the  corruption  pre- 
vailing in  the  world,  and  also  to  have  minds  ac- 
quainted with  the  power  of  redeeming  love.  We 
were  sweetly  refreshed  among  them.  Here  reside 
persons  who,  for  the  maintenance  of  our  Christian 
testimony  against  war  and  bloodshedding,  have 
suffered  grievously." 

"  Came  to  Brunswick.  Here  I  found,  in  the  land- 
lord of  the  hotel  at  which  we  put  up,  a  Frenchman, 
who  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Limoges,  the  place  of 
my  nativity,  and  who,  like  myself  and  others  of  the 
nobility,  emigrated  to  Germany  in  the  year  1791.  We 
were  together  in  the  same  army ;  he  continued  in  it 
after  I  left.  The  division  of  the  army  he  was  in 
was  first  sixteen  thousand  men  strong,  but  it  was  so 
recruited  from  time  to  time  that  he  says  they  lost  about 
fifty  thousand  men  in  that  bloody  war,  and  there  was 
but  a  handful  left  at  last.     He  was  delighted  to  see 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  209 

me.  He  has  a  large  family,  and  has  made  a  hand- 
some estate.  I  endeavored  to  urge  upon  him  the 
gratitude  with  which  his  mind  should  be  clothed 
before  the  Lord,  who,  in  such  mercy  and  com- 
passion, has  preserved  his  life  to  this  day,  even  when 
he  beheld  thousands  fall  around  him,  and  had  also  to 
contemplate  the  great  religious  insensibility  that  was 
manifested  by  many  of  his  companions.  This  was 
such  that,  whilst  their  advanced  posts  were  so  near 
those  of  the  French  revolutionists  that,  though  they 
could  not  see  one  another  because  of  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  they  could  distinguish  the  sound  of 
voices  and  therefore  spoke  to  one  another  only  in  a 
whisper,  yet  even  then  they  were  so  intent  on  card- 
playing  that  they  did  it  by  the  aid  of  glow-worms. 
They  held  these  in  one  hand  and  the  cards  in  the 
other,  now  and  then  laying  them  aside  to  fire  upon 
the  enemy  in  the  direction  of  the  voices,  whilst 
they  were  fired  at  in  return ;  though  now  and  then 
some  were  killed,  yet  others  would  readily  take 
their  places,  and  continue  the  game  !  O  the  cruelty, 
the  depravity,  and  the  wickedness  that  war  brings  with 
it !  it  baffles  all  attempt  at  description." 

Prussia.  "  By  appointment  we  visited  this  morning 
the  Prince  Wittgenstein;  he  is  the  King's  prime 
minister ;  he  received  us  with  kindness  and  openness. 
We  imparted  to  him  several  subjects  that  have  rested 
with  weight  on  our  minds  since  our  coming  to  Prus- 
sia, which  we  wished  to  be  brought  before  the  King 
for  his  consideration,  and  which  the  Prince  has  a  full 
opportunity  of  doing,  as  he  is   daily  with   the   King. 


210  STEPHEN  G  EEL  LET. 

We  met  there  General  Boye,  who  was  with  us  yester- 
day at  the  Major-General  RudlorT's.  From  conscien- 
tious motives  he  has  retired  from  a  military  life ;  he 
accompanied  us  in  a  visit  to  the  prisons  and  to  the 
hospitals  for  the  prisoners.  In  one  of  the  prisons  we 
met  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Jjws,  who  com- 
posed a  band  of  robbers,  linked  together,  but  scattered 
over  various  parts  of  this  kingdom.  The  prisoners  are 
numerous ;  this  is  owing  to  the  very  slow  process 
with  which  the  laws  are  administered,  which  is  a  great 
injury.  There  are  not  any  public  executions;  we  are 
told  that  no  life  has  been  taken  in  this  way  since  1819, 
and  they  have  no  place  abroad  to  which  they  can 
transport  their  convicts. 

"  At  the  suggestion  of  the  Prince  Wittgenstein,  we 
went  to  see  Kohler,  minister  of  the  interior.  The  Prince 
said  that  he  might  be  of  service  to  us  in  promoting 
our  views  for  the  better  treatment  and  accommodation 
of  the  prisoners,  whom  we  had  found  crowded  in 
small  apartments,  badly  ventilated,  so  that  the  air  is 
rendered  very  foul.  We  also  thought  that  their  ration 
of  bread  is  too  small,  and  the  quality  of  it  bad,  so 
that  their  countenances  bespoke  their  suffering  condi- 
tion. We  hope  now  that  relief  in  these  respects  will 
be  extended  to  them,  and  that  by  a  more  speedy  ad- 
ministration of  justice  the  number  of  those  so  confined 
will  be  considerably  lessened. 

"  Baron  von  Schilder,  grand  master  of  the  court, 
accompanied  us  to  the  old  palace,  where  the  Crown 
Prince  and  the  Princess  Royal,  his  wife,  reside.  We 
were  immediately  introduced  into   her  private  apart- 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  241 

ments,  where  she  received  us,  accompanied  oy  one  of 
her  attendant  ladies  only.  She  is  the  sister  of  the 
present  King  of  Bavaria,  and  remembers  me  when, 
some  years  since,  I  visited  him  and  her  father,  who 
was  then  living.  She  made  some  apology  for  desir- 
ing to  see  us,  but  wished  to  obtain  correct  information 
of  our  views  respecting  Divine  worship  ;  also  respect- 
ing prayer,  the  ministry,  women's  preaching,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Divine  Spirit  on  the  heart  of  man,  etc. 
Soon  after  she  began  to  make  inquiries  into  these  in- 
teresting subjects,  the  Crown  Prince,  her  husband, 
came  in  ;  he  said  he  had  succeeded  in  putting  off  his 
journey  into  Pomerania  for  a  few  hours,  and  availed 
himself  of  them  to  be  with  us.  As  he  speaks  good 
English,  dear  William  Allen  had  a  full  opportunity 
with  him ;  and  I  proceeded  in  French  to  answer  the 
inquiries  of  the  Princess,  which  appeared  to  proceed 
from  a  mind  under  religious  exercise,  and  seeking 
after  the  Truth.  This  desire  after  the  knowledge  of 
the  Truth  began  when  I  was  at  Munich  with  the  King 
her  father,  and  the  Crown  Prince  her  brother.  She  had 
also  heard  of  the  religious  meetings  I  then  had,  which 
were  attended  by  many  of  the  people  at  court.  Here 
again,  by  the  Countess  Von  der  Groben  and  others 
she  hears  much  of  the  doctrines  held  forth  by  Goss- 
ner,  and  the  seasons  of  silent  retirement  that  they 
have  with  him.  I  drew  her  attention  to  the  teachings 
of  the  Divine  Spirit,  who  is  ever  near  the  believer  in 
Christ,  to  direct  and  instruct  him,  to  help  us  under  all 
our  infirmities,  and  to  comfort  us  under  all  our  trials. 
Her  spirit  was  very  tender.     The  conversation  then 


242  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

became  more  general  with  the  Prince,  particularly  on 
the  subject  of  liberty  of  conscience.  He  promised  us 
to  use  his  influence  to  promote  this,  and  he  hoped 
that  the  cruelties  exercised  by  military  laws  against 
our  Friends,  or  others,  would  never  be  enforced 
again.  After  a  time  of  solemn  silence,  feeling  my 
mind  constrained  by  the  power  of  gospel  love,  I  im- 
parted to  them  my  soul's  concern  for  them,  that  they 
may  so  live  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  maintain  the  faith 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  after  witnessing  the  bless- 
ing of  preservation  from  the  many  snares  and  tempta- 
tions attending  their  high  stations  of  life,  they  may, 
through  the  redeeming  love  and  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus,  become  heirs  of  His  everlasting  salvation. 
"  On  parting  the  Prince  said  that  he  regretted  he 
could  not  be  longer  with  us ;  that  the  King,  his  father, 
regretted  also  that  his  bodily  indisposition  prevented 
him  from  seeing  us,  remembering  the  visit  that  we 
both  had  made  him  when  he  was  in  London,  and  that 
he  would  not  fail  to  impart  to  him  what  we  had  said, 
especially  on  the  subject  of  liberty  of  conscience  and 
the  severity  of  the  military  laws,  which,  though  not 
enforced  at  present,  yet  are  not  repealed.  We  told  the 
Prince  and  his  Princess,  that  they  must  expect  them- 
selves to  have  tribulations,  if  they  were  sincere  in 
their  desires  to  live  a  godly  life  in  Christ  Jesus;  for 
if  a  man  will  please  the  world  he  is  at  enmity  with 
God  ;  further,  we  told  them  that,  if  they  were  true  in 
their  desires  to  be  found  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  they  must  not  stumble  at  the  cross,  but  follow 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  243 

Him  in  the  path  of  self  denial.  We  parted  from  them 
in  Christian  affection." 

Halle.  "  This  evening  the  Lord  sent  us  comfort, 
blessed  be  His  name!  by  a  visit  from  F.  Tholuck, 
who  is  one  of  the  professors  at  the  University  here, 
but  a  man  of  a  totally  different  spirit  from  the  general- 
ity of  them ;  he  is  a  full  believer  in  the  dear  Re- 
deemer, in  all  His  offices,  according  to  all  the  great 
truths  revealed  to  us  by  Divine  inspiration,  and  con- 
tained in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  In  opposition  to  his 
fellow  professors,  he  teaches  these  faithfully,  in  his 
chair  as  a  professor,  and  from  the  pulpit  also  as  a 
minister  of  Christ,  and  he  adorns  his  doctrine  by  a 
consistent  life.  He  is  well  versed  in  and  teaches  the 
oriental  and  many  ancient  languages ;  but,  so  far  from 
assuming  anything  because  of  his  attainments,  meek- 
ness and  humility  are  his  covering.  He  has  an  arduous 
path  to  tread,  but  the  Lord  supports  him  amidst  his 
numerous  difficulties;  his  enemies,  like  those  of 
Daniel  formerly,  can  find  no  occasion  against  him, 
save  concerning  the  law  of  his  God.  He  has  from  two  to 
three  hundred  young  men,  steady  attenders  at  his 
lectures  at  the  University.  He  has  the  consolation 
to  hope  that  every  year  from  thirty  to  forty  of  these 
young  men  go  from  the  University  to  various  parts  of 
Germany,  thoroughly  established  in  sound  Christian 
truths,  giving  evidence  also  that  they  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity." 

Prague.  "  We  found  about  six  hundred  prisoners 
in  the  prison.  They  carry  on  there  a  variety  of  trades, 
Even  this  year,  during  which  the  labors  of  the  prison- 


244  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

ers  have  been  much  interrupted,  they  think  that  their 
receipts  will  exceed  the  expenses  by  fifteen  thousand 
guilders.  These  prisoners  generally  wear  heavy  irons, 
and  are  kept  under  severe  discipline.  We  saw  in  one 
prison  one  hundred  and  fifty  women  under  heavy 
irons  also.  It  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  had  such 
a  painful  sight." 

Austria.  "  We  had  engaged  to  take  tea  this  even- 
ing at  the  Baron  D'Escheles',  whose  residence  is  four 
miles  out  of  the  city,  and  very  near  to  the  palace  of 
the  Emperor.  We  expected  to  be  with  the  baron's 
family  only.  Great  therefore  was  our  surprise  when 
we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  com- 
pany, mostly  of  the  nobility,  who,  it  appears,  had 
been  invited  on  our  account,  but  entirely  unknown  to 
us.  It  was  an  opportunity  that  we  could  not  have  ob- 
tained by  efforts  of  our  own,  for  the  police  are  so 
strict  that  we  could  not  appoint  any  public  meetings. 
We  are  well  aware,  also,  that  we  are  most  strictly 
watched,  for  even  the  valet-de-place,  who  is  the  servant 
that  attends  upon  us  at  the  inn,  or  who  goes  out  with 
us  to  show  us  the  way  to  the  places  we  visit,  is  an 
emissary  of  the  police ;  they  contrive  to  place  such 
over  every  stranger,  that  all  their  movements  may  be 
closely  watched.  The  whole  of  the  company  spoke 
French;  our  communication  with  one  another  was 
therefore  without  an  interpreter,  on  my  part  at  least; 
we  were  for  awhile  engaged  in  answering  the  inquiries 
made  by  some  who  collected  about  us  for  the  pur- 
pose, but  after  a  time  way  was  made  for  our  having  a 
full   opportunity    to   proclaim   before    them    all   the 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  245 

glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  the  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords,  the  Head  of  the  Church  and  the  only 
Saviour;  we  told  them  that  He  only  can  save  from 
sin,  and  if  those  who  wish  to  try  to  enter  His 
kingdom  by  any  other  way  than  by  Him  who  is 
the  Door  are  accounted  in  the  Scriptures  but  thieves 
and  robbers,  how  much  more  are  to  be  accounted  as 
such  those  who  assume  the  power  to  open  or  close 
that  door,  at  their  pleasure,  to  others !  We  directed 
them  to  Christ,  who  is  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the 
Life,  without  whom  none  can  come  to  the  Father; 
finally  we  commended  them  to  God  and  to  the  word 
of  His  grace,  which  is  able  to  build  us  up  and  to 
give  us  an  inheritance  among  all  them  which  are 
sanctified.  Great  seriousness  prevailed  over  the 
whole  assembly;  the  doctrine  was  new  to  many  of 
them,  but  the  faithful  witness  in  their  own  hearts 
brought  home  the  conviction  that  it  was  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus ;  therefore  no  objection  was  raised  by 
any  one.  Our  spirits  have  magnified  the  Lord  for 
His  great  goodness  in  thus  making  a  way  for  us  to  pro- 
claim His  great  name  as  the  only  Saviour,  in  a  place 
where  we  seemed  to  be  hedged  in  on  every  side. 

"  The  next  morning  the  Prince  Esterhazy  sent  his 
travelling  carriage  to  us,  as  agreed  upon ;  it  is  a  light 
but  very  plain  vehicle;  we  had  post-horses  put  to  it, 
but  we  were  much  surprised  when  at  every  station  on 
the  road  where  the  horses  are  changed  the  postmaster 
refused  to  receive  any  money;  to  this  effect  orders  had 
been  sent  from  the  Prince,  to  whom  or  to  his  father 
that  tract  of  country  as  well  as  the  post-horses  be- 


246  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

long.  But  we  were  much  more  surprised  when,  ar- 
riving at  Eisenstadt,  where  we  expected  to  find  a 
village  only,  and  where  the  Prince  had  told  us  we 
should  find  some  kind  of  shelter  and  plain  simple 
food,  we  were  driven  to  the  Prince's  chateau,  a  spacious 
palace,  and  his  steward,  to  whom  information  had 
been  sent  of  our  coming,  was  waiting  for  us  and 
had  dinner  prepared.  At  first  we  thought  that  surely 
there  must  be  some  mistake ;  but  the  steward,  to 
remove  every  such  apprehension,  showed  us  the 
directions  he  had  from  the  Prince  to  have  us  accom- 
modated in  the  palace,  and  also  to  facilitate  our  going 
to  different  villages  or  places  that  we  might  wish  to 
visit,  and  to  supply  us  with  horses  for  the  purpose 
out  of  his  stables." 

Munich.  "  We  were  comforted  with  the  young 
Baron  Freyberg  and  his  tender  spirited  wife.  They 
appear  sincere  in  their  desire  to  serve  the  Lord.  One 
of  the  King's  ministers  had  been  twice  with  us.  He 
is  one  of  those  that  I  mingled  with  during  my  former 
visits  here,  and  who  continue  to  evince  a  love  for  the 
truth.  The  Prince  Oettingen  Wallenstein  came  this 
evening  to  our  inn,  where  it  was  thought  we  might 
be  more  privately  with  each  other  than  at  his  palace. 
We  spent  about  three  hours  together.  His  Christian 
protection  of  those  Roman  Catholics  who  have  seen 
the  errors  of  popery  shelters  them  greatly  from  the 
persecutions  they  would  otherwise  be  subjected  to. 
Several  of  their  priests  and  nuns  continue  to  make 
public  confession  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  their 
only  hope  of  salvation,  and  that  they  consider  and 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  217 

acknowledge  Him  as  the  only  Head  of  the  Church; 
there  are  also  many  of  the  people  who  turn  away 
from  popery.  The  Prince,  understanding  that  we  pro- 
posed to  visit  some  of  the  villages  on  the  Donau- 
Moos  marshes,  where  many  persons  have  been 
convinced  of  their  former  errors,  has  not  only  en- 
couraged us  to  go  there,  but  has  also  sent  for  the 
Baron  Baader,  who  speaks  good  English,  to  accom- 
pany us  there  and  act  as  our  interpreter.  Previous  to 
our  separation,  we  had  with  the  dear  Prince  a  contriting 
religious  season.  He  was  greatly  broken  in  his  spirit. 
He  hardly  knew  how  to  part  from  us.  He  took  us 
several  times  in  his  arms,  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  May 
the  Lord  strengthen  him  by  His  grace,  and  preserve 
him  faithful  to  His  Divine  will  unto  the  end  !  My 
spirit  is  reverently  bowed  with  gratitude  before  God, 
in  being  now  permitted  to  mingle  again  with  a  few 
among  the  poor,  and  those  who  have  their  dwellings 
in  palaces,  whom  He  has  rescued  from  the  corrup- 
tions that  are  in  the  world,  and  whom  He  enables  to 
approach  His  sacred  presence  with  broken  hearts  and 
contrite  spirits." 

Strasburg.  "  I  left  on  the  14th  for  Ban  de  la  Roche, 
the  former  residence  of  Oberlin,  that  humble  but  great 
man,  and  dignified  useful  servant  of  the  Lord,  whose 
works  continue  to  proclaim  his  love  to  God  and  man. 
I  came  thirty-four  miles  to  Foudai,  where  resides  Le 
Grand,  the  particular  friend  of  the  late  Oberlin ;  he 
is  solicitous  that  the  useful  institutions  formed  by 
him  should  be  conducted  on  the  plan  he  designed.  Le 
Grand    has    two    sons,   who   with   their   wives    and 


248  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

families  reside  on  the  same  premises  with  him;  they 
carry  on  an  extensive  manufactory  of  a  variety  of 
tapes ;  it  was  one  of  the  plans  of  Oberlin  to  procure 
employment  and  the  means  of  an  honest  livelihood  to 
the  numerous  inhabitants  of  a  poor  and  stony  land. 
Immediately  after  my  arrival  Le  Grand  very  kindly 
sent  messengers  to  the  several  villages  on  these 
mountains,  with  the  information  of  my  intention  to 
have  a  religious  meeting  with  them  that  afternoon,  to 
be  held  in  the  central  village  where  Oberlin  used  to 
reside ;  his  house  there  is  at  present  occupied  by  his 
son-in-law,  who  has  succeeded  him  as  pastor.  Ac- 
companied by  Le  Grand  I  went  there,  and  was 
much  pleased  on  meeting  with  faithful  Louisa,  who 
was  the  right  hand  of  Oberlin  in  promoting  the  re- 
ligious, moral,  and  literary  education  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  those  mountains.  She  is  now  aged,  but  still 
active ;  every  week  she  takes  her  walks  around  the 
villages,  visits  the  schools,  the  sick  and  the  afflicted, 
imparts  religious  instruction  to  the  young  people,  and 
performs  her  labors  of  love  as  needed,  and  as  her  way 
for  it  is  open.  She  has  trained  several  mistresses 
who  are  engaged  in  the  schools ;  she  introduced  me 
to  some  of  these,  whom  she  calls  her  fourth  genera- 
tion. Oberlin's  daughter  is  a  pious  woman.  Before 
the  hour  at  which  the  meeting  was  appointed  the 
people  were  seen  running  down  the  rocky  mountains, 
and  collecting  in  great  numbers ;  it  reminded  me  of 
what  I  saw  several  times  when  on  the  island  of  Hayti; 
they  came  from  four  to  eight  miles,  though  the  notice 
was  so  short.     The  meeting  was  held  in  their  place 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  249 

of  worship ;  the  word  of  instruction,  comfort  and  en- 
couragement was  given  me  to  preach  among  them." 

Geneva.  "  Yesterday  and  to-day  I  was  engaged  in 
visiting  the  prisons  and  some  valuable  and  useful  in- 
stitutions. One  is  for  old  men ;  great  care  is  bestowed 
on  their  bodily  comforts;  each  has  his  separate,  clean 
chamber;  everything  that  might  tend  to  disturb  the 
mind  of  an  old  man  is  carefully  avoided,  and  in  the 
most  tender  and  gentle  way  opportunities  are  watched 
for  to  bring  their  minds  to  Christ,  and  to  stir  them  up 
to  make  use  of  their  few  remaining  days  in  preparing 
for  another  life.  I  had  some  interesting  and  satisfac- 
tory religious  services  in  several  of  these  places. 

"  I  dined  at  Mary  Ann  Vernet's,  where  various 
branches  of  their  families  were  present,  also  her 
widowed  daughter,  the  Baroness  de  Stael.  We  had  a 
contriting  time  together.  They  keenly  felt  the  loss 
of  a  valuable  pious  relative,  a  son  of  Mary  Ann's ; 
but  they  bear  it  as  Christians.  In  his  attempt  to  save 
the  life  of  another  person  from  a  building  that  was 
on  fire,  he  himself  fell  a  prey  to  the  devouring  element. 
The  dear  youth  had  for  many  years  past  devoted  him- 
self as  a  nazarite,  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  he  died  while 
evincing  his  love  to  man.  I  was  a  good  deal  with 
him  in  my  previous  visit  here,  and  I  loved  him  in 
the  truth." 

Pignerol,  Piedmont.  "  I  had  a  solitary  but  very 
pleasant  ride,  for  my  blessed  Master  was  with  me; 
my  soul  was  contrited  under  a  grateful  sense  that  He 
hasv  in  a  marvellous  manner  and  in  great  condescend- 
ing mercy,  kept  to  this   day  His  covenant  with  me, 


250  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

though  on  my  part,  with  shame  and  confusion,  I  be- 
held how  frequently  I  have  broken  my  own  covenant 
with  my  Lord  God  and  Redeemer.  He  has  enabled 
me  to  renew  it  this  day,  and  to  anoint  the  altar  with 
many  tears;  may  it  prove  to  be  an  everlasting 
covenant,  never  to  be  broken !  My  soul  also  was 
poured  forth  before  God  in  supplication  for  all  whom 
I  have  visited  and  labored  with  in  the  work  and  love 
of  the  gospel,  in  various  parts  of  America  and  in 
these  European  nations.  The  remembrance  also  of 
the  thousands  that  have  been  slain  on  these  moun- 
tains and  in  these  valleys  for  their  love  to  Jesus,  and 
their  faithfulness  to  His  testimony,  has  been  feelingly 
and  solemnly  before  me.  I  beheld  how  many  of  these 
have  joined  that  innumerable  company  who  have 
come  out  of  many  tribulations,  and  stand  now  clothed 
in  white  before  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb, 
having  harps  in  their  hands. 

"  I  met  here  Colonel  Beckwith  ;  he  lost  one  of  his 
legs  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  now  endeavors  to 
devote  his  time  to  acts  of  benevolence ;  this  is  the 
third  winter  he  has  spent  among  the  Waldenses  ;  he 
has  been  useful  in  promoting,  and  in  assisting  them 
in  the  building  of  schoolhouses,  and  in  having  schools 
for  the  girls  separate  from  the  boys.  He  also  en- 
deavors to  introduce  amomg  them  the  manufacture 
of  a  variety  of  articles,  the  materials  of  which  are  of 
small  value. 

"I  went  to  most  of  their  villages,  and  visited 
their  schools ;  at  Bobi  I  was  pleased  with  one  for 
girls;    it  is  conducted   by  a  pious  widow,  who    en- 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  251 

deavors  to  train  up  the  young  plants  under  her 
charge  in  the  fear  of  God.  I  found  religious  tender- 
ness among  the  parents  and  the  children  in  several 
places ;  most  of  their  pastors  also  appear  to  be  con- 
scientiously concerned  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
their  flocks.  These  visits  were  fatiguing,  for  I  had 
to  perform  the  journeys  mostly  on  foot ;  the  snow 
was  deep ;  and  the  rough  paths  on  the  high  ground 
being  covered  with  ice  rendered  walking  laborious. 
This  was  particularly  the  case  in  going  up  the  moun- 
tain to  Angrone.  It  is  in  that  valley,  and  on  that 
mountain,  that  many  battles  were  fought  during  the 
wars  of  extermination  waged  against  the  Waldenses 
at  the  instigation  of  the  Papists,  whose  armies  were 
accompanied  by  the  inquisitors.  Many  of  these 
poor  unoffending  people,  who  escaped  the  edge  of 
the  sword,  were  burned  by  the  Inquisition." 

France :  Brives.  "  I  find  my  beloved  mother  in 
a  very  tender  state  of  mind,  green  in  old  age.  Her 
heart  seems  to  be  full  of  love  to  the  dear  Saviour. 
She  appears  to  be  weaned  from  a  dependence  on  the 
priests  or  outward  observances.  Her  heart  is  fixed, 
trusting  in  the  Lord  alone.  It  is  rare  to  meet  with 
any  one  at  her  advanced  age  who  retains  such  bright 
mental  faculties."* 


*  Three  years  after  this,  Stephen  Grellet  received  the  affect- 
ing intelligence  of  the  decease  of  his  "beloved  and  honored 
mother,"  an  event  which  was  communicated  to  him  in  a  letter 
from  his  brother  Joseph,  who,  with  many  of  her  descendants, 
was  present  on  the  peacefully  solemn  occasion.  She  was  in 
her  ninety-fourth  year,  and  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  Stephen 
Grellet  to  think  of  her  as  rt  full  of  love  to  the  dear  Saviour, 


252  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

Paris.  "  We  breakfasted  this  morning,  by  invita- 
tion at  the  Duke  de  Broglie's,  prime  minister  here. 
The  Duchess's  sister,  the  Baroness  de  Stael,  with 
whom  we  both  have  long  been  acquainted,  is  here 
also  at  present.  They  both  are  pious  women.  Guizot 
also,  another  of  the  King's  ministers,  was  with  us  at 
breakfast.  I  had  wished  to  see  him,  and  thus  an  op- 
portunity was  given  me  to  represent  to  him  the  senti- 
ments contained  in  some  of  the  books  used  in  the 
public  schools,  which  are  not  in  accordance  with  pure 
Christian  doctrine.  He  promised  to  attend  to  this. 
He  stated  also  that  he  has  taken  measures  to  have 
the  New  Testament  introduced  in  all  the  public 
schools,  for  which  purpose  he  has  ordered  an  edition 
of  forty  thousand  copies.  He  meets  with  no  obstruc- 
tion to  it  from  the  bishops,  the  greatest  is  from  some 


weaned  from  a  dependence  upon  priests  or  outward  ob- 
servance^, with  her  heart  fixed, — trusting  in  the  Lord  alone." 
From  one  of  her  letters  to  her  son  Stephen  and  his  family  in 
the  United  States  the  following  is  extracted  : — •'  What  delight 
thy  letter  gave  thy  mother,  my  tenderly  beloved  son  !  After 
many  dangers  thou  art  at  last  restored  to  thy  fireside,  to  thy 
dear  wife  and  child.  What  thanks  should  we  render  to  the 
Lord!  I  had  received  thy  letter  from  England.  Thou  left 
me  in  great  anxiety,  but  not  on  my  own  account, —  that  troubles 
me  the  least.  But  other  trials  awaited  me,  and  I  have  needed 
to  recall  to  my  mind  very  often  thy  tender  advice,  to  bow  in 
entire  submission  to  the  will  of  the  Lord,  and,  as  thou  hast 
told  me,  to  be  fully  persuaded  that  our  Crosses  and  our  afflic- 
tions are  given  us  by  the  hand  of  the  tenderest  Father.  Al- 
ways remember  me  before  the  Lord.  When  I  call  to  mind 
thy  patience,  thy  resignation,  thy  advice,  I  feel  strengthened. 
I  wish  you,  my  dear  children,  the  Lord's  blessing.  Remember 
me  in  His  presence  and  love,  as  she  loves  you,  your  mother. 

Gkellet." 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  253 

of  the  priests.  After  he  and  the  Duke  had  retired  to 
go  to  the  Chambers,  we  had  with  the  two  sisters  a 
precious  opportunity ;  they  know  the  language  of  the 
Spirit.  The  Duke,  wishing  to  have  more  time  with 
us,  pressed  us  to  take  a  family  dinner  with  him  to- 
morrow. In  the  afternoon  we  had  religious  oppor- 
tunities with  several  persons,  both  Protestants  and 
Roman  Catholics." 

Spain.  "  This  morning  at  eleven  o'clock  we  went, 
as  appointed,  to  the  Count  D'Ofalia's ;  he  manifested 
great  freedom  in  conversing  with  us  on  subjects  of 
benevolence  and  piety,  on  the  distribution  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  the  state  of  religion  in  Spain,  which 
he  acknowledges  to  be  very  low ;  he  told  us  that  he 
was  yesterday  with  the  King,  and  spoke  of  us  to  him ; 
he  informed  him  also  of  our  intention  to  visit  their 
prisons  and  other  institutions ;  the  King  directed  that 
an  order  for  our  admittance  to  any  place  we  may 
wish  to  visit  should  be  made  out  in  his  own  name ; 
he  also  requested  that  we  would  furnish  him  with  any 
remarks  we  may  make  in  these  visits.  How  remark- 
able that  the  Lord  should  thus  set  an  open  door  be- 
fore us,  in  places  where,  but  a  very  little  while  ago, 
anarchy  prevailed,  streams  of  blood  flowed,  and  the 
prisons  were  crowded  with  innocent  victims.  We  are 
told  that,  in  some  parts  of  this  nation,  the  tyrants  in 
power,  after  putting  some  of  their  victims  to  a  cruel 
death,  made  out  bills  of  the  expenses  attending  the 
execution,  which  they  obliged  the  mournful  widows 
to  pay ! 

"  We  visited  several  of  their  prisons,  the  orphan  and 


254  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

poorhouse,  also  the  foundling  hospital,  which  is  a 
large  establishment ;  they  admit  yearly  from  eleven  to 
twelve  hundred  children. 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  meeting  at  Sir  Strat- 
ford   Canning's,    with    his    family  and  a    few    others. 

They  appeared  to  appreciate  the  privilege  of  wait- 
ing on  and  worshipping  the  Lord.  In  the  evening, 
our  meeting  at  the  American  ambassador's  was  pretty 
numerously  attended.  A  number  of  Spaniards  were 
there ;  some  we  had  not  seen  before ;  as  they  all 
understood  French,  I  needed  not  the  help  of  an  in- 
terpreter. Dear  Allen  attempts  at  times  to  speak  in 
French  also.  Some  of  these  services  are  attended 
with  deep  exercise.  How  wonderfully  adapted  are 
the  great  and  important  truths  of  the  gospel  to  every 
condition  of  man  !  We  had  a  solemn  meeting.  Several 
parted  from  us  under  much  seriousness. 

"  We  were  occupied  great  part  of  the  last  two  days 
in  preparing  a  report,  to  be  laid  before  the  King,  of 
our  visits  to  the  prisons  and  other  institutions :  the 
state  in  which  we  find  them,  the  abuses  which  exist, 
the  causes  which  lead  to  the  commission  of  many 
crimes,  and  the  remedy  which  we  submit  for  con- 
sideration." 

"  We  went  to  the  palace  about  the  time  appointed ; 
the  Duke  of  Aragon  received  us  with  much  civility; 
they  had  even  removed  the  military  that  almost  al- 
ways stand  about  the  palace.  The  Duke  brought  us 
up  the  great  staircase  into  a  spacious  hall,  where  the 
King's  immediate  attendants  were  in  waiting.  The 
Chamberlain  soon  brought  us  into  what  appeared  to 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  255 

be  the  court  room;  we  saw  nobody  at  first,  but  very 
soon  a  plainly  dressed  person  and  a  lady  came  towards 
us,  holding  a  little  girl  by  the  hands  between  them. 
We  did  not  think  they  were  the  King  and  Queen,  till 
I  observed  her  features,  which  reminded  me  of  a 
portrait  I  had  seen  of  her,  and  I  queried,  '  Is  it 
the  Queen  before  whom  we  stand  ?'  '  Yes/  she  re- 
plied, '  and  this  is  the  King,  and  here  is  our  young 
Princess,*  our  eldest,  two  and  a  half  years  old.'  We 
soon  explained  the  reason  of  our  embarrassment, 
for  we  did  not  expect  that  the  King  was  well  enough 
to  be  out  of  his  chamber,  and  feared  that  his  standing 
would  be  too  great  an  exertion  for  him ;  but  they  de- 
clined sitting  down.  After  some  remarks  respecting 
our  visits  to  their  public  institutions,  we  answered 
their  inquiries  on  several  subjects  relating  thereto,  in 
which  the  Queen  took  part  with  interest.  This  led  to 
subjects  of  a  religious  nature,  and  an  inquiry  into 
our  Christian  testimonies  and  practices ;  under  a  sense 
of  the  Lord's  power  and  love,  I  uncovered  my  head 
and  proclaimed  to  them,  as  the  Lord  through  His 
Spirit  gave  me,  the  word  of  reconciliation,  of  life  and 
salvation  through  faith  in  Christ.  I  felt  much  for  the 
King  under  the  severe  trials  that  have  attended  him, 
and  the  remarkable  manner  in  which  his  life  was  pre- 
served within  the  last  few  months,  whilst  from  his 
illness  he  was  in  a  state  of  stupor,  and  the  prevailing 
party  urged  the  physician  to  have  the  post  mortem  ex- 
amination made,  though  he  protested  he  was  not 
dead;  it  was  at  that  very  juncture  that  the  Queen's 

*  The  present  ex-Queen  of  Spain,  Isabella  II. 


25G  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

party  obtained  the  ascendancy  and  the  King's  life  was 
preserved.  In  the  course  of  my  communication  I 
alluded  to  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  remarked  that  the 
King  had,  like  him,  been  driven  out  of  his  Kingdom 
(having  been  sent  a  prisoner  to  France  by  Buona- 
parte), had  endured  many  afflictions  and  humiliations, 
but  now  the  Lord  had  restored  his  kingdom,  and  had 
instructed  him  to  know  that  it  is  by  Him  that  kings 
reign  and  princes  ought  to  decree  justice.  As  I  went 
on,  the  King  queried,  '  Who  is  this  King  Nebuchad- 
nezzar?' The  Queen  at  once  explained  to  him  in 
what  part  of  the  Scriptures  he  would  find  it.  Then  I 
expressed  my  earnest  desire  that,  like  him,  he  may 
honor  the  Most  High,  by  breaking  off  his  sins  by 
righteousness,  and  his  iniquities  by  showing  mercy  to 
the  poor,  with  Christian  faith  and  confidence  asking 
of  God  to  give  him  wisdom  and  knowledge,  to  go  out 
and  come  in  before  the  people  so  as  to  glorify  His 
name.  We  also  entreated  the  King  to  mark  the  last 
years  of  his  reign  by  acts  of  clemency  and  of  piety, 
and  the  noble  deed  of  giving  to  his  subjects  full 
liberty  of  conscience,  not  doubting  that  they  would 
thus  be  crowned  with  the  Lord's  blessing,  and  that, 
finally,  his  earthly  crown  would  be  exchanged  for  a 
heavenly  one.  Both  the  King  and  the  Queen  were 
serious,  and  on  parting  gave  evidence  of  kind  feelings 
towards  us.  They  both  speak  good  French ;  there- 
fore, all  that  was  communicated  was  in  that  language ; 
none  were  present  except  them  and  ourselves. 

"  From  the  palace  we  went  to  dine  at  Sir  Stratford 
Canning's  ;  several  persons  came  in  afterwards,  with 
whom  we  had  a  time  of  religious  edification.      Oh 


FOURTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  257 

what  a  consolation  thuj  to  find  among  those  who  oc- 
cupy high  stations  in  life  a  few  who  walk  in  the  lowly- 
path  that  Christianity  calls  us  into.  We  took  an 
affectionate  farewell  of  this  interesting  family." 

It  must  be  understood  that  the  foregoing  are  merely 
selections  from  the  Journal  of  Mr.  Grellet,  and  only 
intended  to  serve  as  specimens  of  unceasing  labors 
day  by  day  in  these  various  countries,  and  which  were 
continued  for  the  space  of  three  years.  Everywhere 
was  he  faithfully  seeking  to  follow  the  Spirit  as  his 
Guide.  The  selections  have  not  included  his  refer- 
ences to  natural  scenery,  which  are  more  numerous 
and  glowing  than  at  an  earlier  period.  Otherwise 
the  labors  thus  unremitted  were  like  those  that  had 
gone  before.  His  was  a  mission  to  sufferers.  It  was 
his  to  carry  everywhere  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  who 
carried  Himself  with  lowliness  to  all  men.  It  was  his 
everywhere  to  make  lighter  the  heavy  bonds  of  pris- 
oners; to  impart  to  the  little  children  in  foundling 
hospitals  and  poorhouses  the  elementary  truths  of 
that  gospel  he  loved ;  to  bear  witness  among  rulers 
and  princes  on  behalf  of  the  benevolent  sentiments 
which  Christianity  should  inspire ;  to  encourage  faith- 
ful servants  of  Christ,  and  to  assist  in  lodging  that 
living  seed  of  truth  in  the  heart  of  humanity,  whose 
blossoming  and  fruits  are  now  preparing  a  way  for 
the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

The  last  meeting  Stephen  Grellet  attended  is  de- 
scribed. It  was  in  London,  at  Devonshire  House, 
during  the  Yearly  Meeting ;  when  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity fully  to  relieve  his  mind,  and  his  communica- 
tion was  very  remarkable,  rising  brighter  and  brighter 


258  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 

towards  the  close ;  Elizabeth  J.  Fry  followed  in  sup- 
plication, and  there  was  a  very  solemn  feeling  over 
the  meeting.  Afterwards,  in  the  concluding  sitting 
of  the  Meeting,  "when  the  business  was  over,  he 
again  rose  and  delivered  a  parting  exhortation,  which 
was  remarkably  solemn  and  impressive ;  to  some  he 
addressed  the  language  of  warning,  and  he  had  sweet 
encouragement  for  the  aged  and  for  tender,  visited 
minds ;  and  in  the  silence  at  the  close  there  was  a  deep 
feeling  of  solemnity,  and  the  Great  Head  of  the 
Church,  having  granted  some  precious  seasons,  was 
pleased  to  confirm  the  faith  of  His  servants  in  Him." 
It  is  added,  sorrowfully,  by  William  Allen :  "  Dear 
Stephen  Grellet  was  with  us  for  the  last  time;  he 
spoke  in  a  remarkable  manner ;  it  was  indeed  a  faith- 
ful communication.  Several  Friends  were  with  us  at 
our  lodgings,  and  before  we  separated  we  felt  the 
drawings  of  the  Father's  love,  and,  after  a  time  of 
silence,  Stephen  knelt  in  supplication.  It  was  a 
favored  opportunity.  We  afterwards  walked  to 
Bishopsgate  street,  to  John  Hustler's  lodgings,  and 
then  I  took  a  leave  of  him." 

Mr.  Grellet  arrived  at  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  in 
July,  1834.  He  had  travelled  during  this  last  Eu- 
ropean journey  above  twenty-eight  thousand  miles. 
His  first  act  was  to  unite  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
in  ascribing  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the  Lord. 
After  this  William  Allen  writes :  "  I  had  a  sweet 
letter  from  dear  Grellet  since  he  reached  home ;  he  is 
in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  dear  Master's  peace,  and 
his  heart  is  filled  with  love  to  all  those  among  whom 
he  has  labored." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    CLOSING     YEARS. 

IT  was  the  desire  of  Dr.  Thomas  Chalmers  that  the 
seventh  decade  of  his  years  should  form  the  sab- 
bath of  his  life.  The  prayer  was  granted.  In  Stephen 
Grellet's  history  there  were  such  two  sabbatic  periods  ; 
and  in  his  case  as  in  that  of  Chalmers  there  was  the 
further  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  "  they  shall  bring 
forth  fruit  in  old  age."  These  twenty  years  were  passed 
by  him  at  Burlington,  New  Jersey.  A  newspaper 
of  that  place  recorded  of  him  after  his  decease :  "  As 
a  citizen  among  us  we  may  safely  quote  the  Scrip- 
ture language  of  St.  Paul,  '  ye  are  witnesses  how 
holily,  justly,  and  unblameably  he  behaved  himself 
among  you.'  "  The  paper  spoke  also  of  his  "  gentle, 
kindly,  true  heartedness,"  of  his  "  shining  foosteps," 
and  of  the  ''unmistakable  halo  of  good  to  be  felt 
about  him."  Another  record  bears  witness  of  his 
"  cheerfulness  blended  with  a  quiet  unassuming 
dignity,"  of  his  "  courteousness  and  affability ;"  "  his 
look  was  love,  his  salutation  peace."  The  Lord  has 
often  granted  to  not  a  few  of  His  ministers  to  preach 
in  their  last  years  by  their  lives,  when  their  voice 
was  no  longer  heard  as  heretofore. 

Thus  those  last  twenty  years   were  passed.      His 

(259) 


260  THE  CLOSING  TEARS. 

mind  continually  dwelt  in  perfect  peace.  He  was 
increasingly  alive  to  all  the  beauties  and  enjoyments 
of  life;  but  his  aspect  was  so  serene,  his  demeanor 
so  tranquil,  his  tones  so  affectionate,  as  to  bespeak 
the  habitual  consciousness  of  the  Divine  presence. 
He  knew  what  suffering  was,  for  a  painful  malady 
was  upon  him.  But  he  remarked :  "  My  Saviour  is 
my  joy,  the  rock  of  my  strength,  my  song,  my 
hope  for  ever  and  ever.  He  who  gives  strength  to 
suffer  gives  love  also  to  endure."  "  By  night  and 
by  day  my  dear  Redeemer  and  His  Spirit  are  near 
me.  In  my  sleep,  in  my  waking  hours,  the  thoughts 
of  my  heart  are  towards  the  Lord,  and  sweet  and 
refreshing."  He  spoke  also  of  his  intercessions  in 
the  night  seasons  for  those  he  loved,  and  whom  his 
sixty  years'  ministry  had  embraced,  and  which  were 
often  "  pleasanter  than  even  sleep." 

During  most  of  these  twenty  years  he  regularly 
attended  the  Burlington  meeting  on  the  Lord's  Day ; 
he  frequently  travelled  far  to  be  present  at  the  Friends' 
Yearly  Meetings  in  different  Northern  States ;  he 
kept  up  an  extensive  correspondence  with  Friends  in 
Europe,  and  as  opportunity  offered  engaged  in  wit- 
nessing for  the  Lord  Jesus  in  every  Christian  com- 
munion. Years  after,  men  recalled  his  wise  and 
powerful  words  as  he  preached  on  such  passages  as 
"  Joy  in  believing,"  "  Where  is  your  faith  ?"  "  I  am 
ready  to  be  offered,"  and  "  Blessed  be  God,  even  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  mer- 
cies and  the  God  of  all  comfort;  who  comforteth  us 
in  all  our  tribulation,  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort 


STEPHEN  GRELLET.  261 

them  which  are  in  any  trouble  by  the  comfort  where- 
with we  are  comforted  of  God."  The  old  charm  of 
sympathy,  tenderness,  reality  and  "  vitality  "  was  with 
him  to  the  last.  Men  also  remind  themselves  to  this 
day  of  his  public  prayers,  so  humble,  benevolent  and 
fervent. 

The  end  came  in  the  autumn  of  1855.  As  it  ap- 
proached, he  said  with  a  radiant  smile:  "My  heart 
and  my  strength  faileth,  but  God  is  the  strength  of 
my  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever."  There  was  severe 
pain ;  but  the  language  of  heart  and  lip  was  that  of 
Him  to  whom  his  eye  was  ever  turned,  "  Not  my  will 
but  Thine  be  done."  He  presented  the  petition  that 
the  pain  might  be  relieved  before  the  final  emergency. 
The  prayer  was  answered ;  the  pain  ceased.  In  full 
possession  of  his  faculties,  and  with  the  light  and 
peace  on  his  face  of  one  who  was  resting  in  cloudless 
communion  with  his  Saviour,  and  without  "tasting 
death,"  his  spirit  passed  away  to  join  the  glorified 
companies  of  the  immortals. 


A  distinguished  statesman,  himself  a  Friend,  spoke 
on  one  occasion  of  "  the  small  and  inconsiderable  sect 
of  which  I  am  a  member."  Had  all  larger  sects 
been  as  anxious  as  that  of  the  Quakers  to  do  justly, 
and  to  make  that  their  end  which  was  the  end  of 
Christ's  work  and  ministry — the  relieving  of  the 
sufferings,  and  the  perfection  of  humanity,  a  very 
different  world  should  we  have  had  to  live  in  to-day. 

If  now  the  Society  of  Friends  has  ceased  to  augment 


2G2  THE  CLOSING  YEARS. 

in  numbers,  let  them  know  that  not  only  have  most 
of  the  humane  principles  they  have  advocated 
triumphed,  but  many  also  of  their  customs  have  been 
adopted  by  other  evangelical  Protestants.  Once  they 
stood  almost  alone  in  their  testimony  against  an  ex- 
clusive ministerial  caste  in  the  Church.  Now  their 
principle  of  recognizing  the  preaching  gifts  of  lay- 
men is  all  but  universally  adopted.  The  danger  at 
present  is  that  of  not  guarding,  as  they  have  done, 
the  liberty  of  prophesying.  But  in  these  days  lay 
evangelists  are  ungrudgingly  honored,  and  among 
Chistians  in  the  two  hemispheres  they  are  often  held 
to  be  among  the  ablest  preachers  of  the  gospel.  Further 
than  this,  that  recognition  of  the  public  service  of 
woman  in  the  furtherance  of  the  welfare  of  men,  which 
once  was  almost  peculiar  to  Friends,  is  now  a  mark 
of  the  Christian  community  generally.  The  incon- 
sistent sneer  of  worldly  persons  who  can  listen  with 
approval  to  the  public  and  solo  singing  of  women, 
and  to  their  favorite  actresses,  is  no  longer  allowed  to 
support  an  objection  to  the  public  advocacy  of 
women  on  behalf  of  what  is  pure  and  merciful. 
There  was  a  time  when  "  silent  waiting  on  the  Lord" 
was  a  custom  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the 
Friends.  Such  silent  seasons  for  individual  petitions, 
and  for  that  "  contriting "  and  "  tendering "  which 
Stephen  Grellet  counted  the  sign  above  all  of  the 
Spirit's  presence,  are  now  far  from  unusual  in  Chris- 
tian assemblies.  It  may  be  added,  the  political  pur- 
pose of  the  Friends  to  take  part  in  making  straight  the 
crooked   ways    of   the  world,  and  making   plain  its 


STEPHEN  GRELLET.  263 

rough  places,  is,  in  these  last  years,  much  more  the 
mark  than  formerly  of  devout  persons.  It  is  pleasant 
to  say  these  things.  If  the  witnesses  clothed  in  sack- 
cloth for  many  years  have  finished  their  testimony,  it 
is  because  the  truths  have  been  accepted  for  which 
they  suffered. 

May  the  author  of  this  Life  of  Stephen  Grellet  be 
permitted  to  record  that  to  him,  amidst  pastoral  and 
public  duties,  it  has  been  with  pleasant  memories  he 
has  followed  the  course  of  this  great  and  remarkable 
man.  It  was  his  privilege  to  stand  by  the  side  of 
Friends  of  Reading  for  a  few  years,  and  in  Leeds  for 
ten  years,  in  services  on  behalf  of  popular  education, 
abolition  of  slavery,  and  other  public  questions. 
Frequently  has  he  united  with  them  elsewhere  in  the 
course  of  a  ministry  of  more  than  thirty  years.  He 
recalls  with  a  tender  admiration  the  remembrance  of 
their  honorableness,  wisdom,  firmness,  large  minded- 
ness,  and  their  unvarying  courtesy  and  deference  to 
the  opinions  of  others.  It  is  grateful  to  him  to  re- 
mind this  generation  of  men  to  whom  this  country 
and  the  world  are  under  such  abiding  obligations, 
"  inconsiderable"  though  they  may  esteem  themselves. 

One  supreme  principle  of  the  Friends  remains  to  be 
more  and  more  maintained  and  developed.  That  is, 
as  the  Life  and  Mission  of  Stephen  Grellet  teach, 
that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  is  the  silent,  patient,  inspiring 
and  ever  guiding  Presence  among  men,  and  is  the 
abiding  witness  for  Jesus  in  a  world  on  which  the 
cross  of  Calvary  has  been  lifted  up.  In  these  last 
days,  when  the  faithful  application  of  the  teaching  of 


264  THE  CLOSING  YEARS. 

holy  Scripture  to  the  new  conditions  of  society  is 
perplexing  and  difficult,  the  Spirit  will  guide  and 
counsel  as  we  supremely  aim  and  pray  to  be  in  com- 
plete subjection  to  His  perpetual  motions.  Then  we 
shall  have  help  wisely  to  work,  and  patiently  to  wait, 
for  the  final  setting  up  of  Christ's  kingdom  among 
men. 

"  Let  us  toil  on  ;  the  work  we  have  behind  us, 

Though  incomplete,  God's  hand  will  yet  embalm. 
And  use  it  some  way  ;  and  the  news  will  find  us 
In  heaven  above,  and  sweeten  endless  calm." 


THE   END. 


' u     JI^IJ 


